


Emerald Rose

by Hotaru_Mizuno



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Dirty Jokes, Fluff, M/M, Mild Spamano, Pirate England (Hetalia), Pirate France (Hetalia), Pirate OCs - Freeform, Pirate Spain (Hetalia), Smut, low key angst, mild Franada
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2019-11-28 18:02:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18211721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotaru_Mizuno/pseuds/Hotaru_Mizuno
Summary: After witnessing the destruction of his royal naval ship, Alfred Jones ends up as a survivor and under the mercy of one of the most infamous and dangerous men to sail the seven seas, Captain Arthur Kirkland himself. To his surprise, the Captain seems intent on keeping him alive rather than dead and makes him a member of his crew.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write some Pirate England x Alfred. Pirate Iggy and Alfred are my jam. This was just a oneshot at the beginning, but then it came under intense request to be continued.
> 
> Allistor - Scotland. Sorry if I messed up his character, there's not much canon for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently under reevaluation.  
> What I mean is I'm fixing things that bug me, like errors and small tweaks like more detail or dialogue. ^^

____________________________________

 

Alfred could feel his skin searing with pain as he ran. His left hand, his sword arm, was blistering with an angry burn. The ship was on fire now. The odds were against him. He wasn't getting out of this.

 

Some of his crewmates were still putting up a fight. It was a lost cause, but the remaining men seemed set on going down fighting. Alfred couldn't think too much to want to keep fighting. He wanted to get out of this alive. He had made Matthew a promise.

He stopped at a railing and panted for breath. His left arm stung, and his whole body was sore. There was no way he could swing a sword with his left arm, and his right arm was very inexperienced. The General had always reminded them all to learn how to swing a sword with both hands, in case this happened. He was just too much of an idiot to have listened at the time.

It smelled like smoke and blood and he saw corpses everywhere. It was horrible. How could such a huge division of soldiers be overtaken by pirates? Alfred tasted bile in the back of his throat. He had never been in a battle with this many casualties before. He'd simply never thought he would go through something like this. Why would he?

 

Alfred heard a defeated groan, and he turned around. There was a soldier on the ground, fighting to breathe and grab his pistol at the same time. There was a man from the attacking ship, a pirate, looming over him, preparing to deliver the final blow.

Alfred couldn't watch him die. His hero complex was itching! It had been his childhood fantasy, and he never grew out of it. It was why he joined the navy, so he could fight for his country and someday be a hero of a sort. Maybe he'd rise and become a captain, being able to sail the world and possibly even meet the monarchy of England and its empire. That would be a dream come true.

 

He gritted his teeth, and then pushed himself off the railing. He may come to regret this moment, but he would regret it more if he simply ran and left his fellow soldier to die. He pushed his pain aside and passed his sword into his right hand. He hoped his luck would not skip out on vacation.

He took off after the burly pirate, his boots clacking against the wood. He swung his sword at the man's legs, causing the man to drop his sword and fall to the ground. Out of an instinct act of mercy, Alfred turned his sword around and hit the man with the back, rendering him unconscious. He heard another noise and instinctively turned around to face another oppressor. What he saw made him stop.

His eyes met with the brightest pair of green eyes he had ever seen. It quite literally caught him off caught, and within seconds of his sword swinging, he could only stare. His oppressor stood out so much it made him faulter.

 

And then the guy hit his sword out of his hand and in an instant, he was on his knees and had a blade pointed at his throat. Whoops.

 

"What do we have here?" He said coolly. His voice was laced with a rich British accent, and it made some part of Alfred feel stirred.  
Dear god, he hoped that was fear. It was all it could be, after all, this was a cool blade on his throat, ready to end his life at any given moment. 

Alfred gulped and stared up at the man. He had a chance to get a better look at him now.  
He had rich golden locks that clashed widely with his eyes, and even more so with his coat, which was as crimson red as the fire surrounding them.

This man was obviously the captain of this dangerous pirate crew.

"Is this the silent treatment?" The man taunted, a dangerous smirk on his lips. His eyes glistened with something unreadable, but Alfred had a few guesses. All led to his death. "I only asked you a question. It's rude if you don't answer. Don't you have a name?"

 

Alfred couldn't speak. Had he forgotten how? This man took all the words out of him. He wanted to answer, to justify himself, but he somehow couldn't. Was it just fear? It had to be. What else would it be? He gave a quick glance at his sword, lying about a few feet away from him. There was no way he could get it and still have his life to show for it.

"Cap'n!" called out a voice. The Captain, the man in front of him, gave a soft sigh and turned around. A man had run up. He looked a little short of breath but seemed confident talking to the Captain. He had flaming red hair that gleamed in the firelight.

"The ship will be going down in a few. We should go." He said imploringly. He gave Alfred no attention whatsoever. It was as if he wasn't there. It was demeaning.

"Any prisoners?" The Captain asked, his tone giving off a sort of authority. Alfred glanced at his sword again. Perhaps he could catch one of them off guard? Maybe not the Captain, but he could strike the other guy and make a run for it.If he did manage to strike down the Captain first, it would also give him a larger window of time to flee. Maybe he could catch a lifeboat or something and still make it out of this alive.

"No, the soldiers seem pretty set to fight to the death. For the king and country and all of that." The man grumbles, not noticing as Alfred stared at his fallen weapon. This was his chance. It's now or never.

 

The American looked back at the Captain and the other man. He slowly lifted his good arm and leaned over. He silently prayed that neither of the two men saw him. He felt a rush of adrenaline when he felt the cool hilt of the handle. Almost there.

He flung himself at the Captain, aiming his sword at his torso. But before Alfred could even blink, the Captain had wheeled around and swiftly blocked his blow. Alfred widened his eyes at how fast he was. Had he been anticipating this?

"Did you really think I forgot about you?" The Captain chided, giving a dangerous smile. "Now that's just too cute."

Alfred growled and swung again at the man, determined to have the last laugh. The Captain was quick to dodge and block his every blow. He was undeniably quick and infinitely skilled in combat, Alfred clearly stood no chance. In under a minute, the Brit had caught Alfred off guard, hit him in the stomach, and sent him crashing to the ground again, his sword dropping away.

He scrambled to get back up, his vision in disarray from being knocked to the ground so quickly. Before he could get on his knees, a boot had appeared on his back, forcing him to the ground under the weight of the dangerous man. Was the man wearing heeled boots? The Captain was definitely a man with a lot of audacity.

 

"Don't be running off anywhere now, lad. We only just got to know each other." The Pirate Captain teased treacherously. His heel dug into Alfred's uniform, making said person grit his teeth. His whole body hurt like hell, and now there was a boot pressing on his back. He really wasn't getting out of this, was he?

"You haven't even said a word." The man acknowledged lightly. He leaned on the knee on Alfred's back and tilted his head, his movement barely audible. "Do you think you're too good for a scary pirate captain like me?"

Alfred muttered something, glaring at the wood so close to his face. His glasses were dangling on the bridge of his nose, but he probably couldn't move his hands enough to adjust them.

"What was that?" The Captain asked, grinning dangerously.

"Fuck off," Alfred said clearly, turning over his shoulder. He glared as fiercely as he could at the pirate. The Captain seemed to stop for a moment. Alfred could see something resonating in his eyes. The emerald orbs almost glowed in the firelight, and his coat did a great job of making his eyes stand out like no one else's could. They were.......

"Really? You've got some nerve boy." The Captain said, interrupting his thoughts. He chuckled in amusement as he said it, as if he were enjoying himself. What was that? He had to be just nauseous from recent developments. That was it. "I can't tell whether or not that's bravery or stupidity. I almost think you don't know who I am."

"You're a pirate and you're destroying my ship and murdering everyone That's all I need to know." Alfred said coldly, squirming rebelliously under the man's weight. He hoped the fire wasn't going to make the floor fall out from underneath them. Surely the Captain knew he was under limited time.

"Hm. Rude." The Captain said lightly, frowning in a mocking tone. "You really haven't heard of me?"

"I don't know you, and I don't care." Alfred spat, still trying to struggle. "Now get off me." He said lowly. The pirate captain seemed to be the only person he had met that could rival his strength. Any other person and he would already be out of his grasp. Alfred was not going to give up though. He was going to make it out of this alive. He had to.

 

"Interesting. I'm not sure whether or not that's honestly disappointing or amusing. " The Captain snorted. He gave a small laugh and finally released his boot. "Oi, Allistor. I think we might as well make one exception about our little prisoner problem."

The man who had approached the Captain earlier, Allistor apparently, gave Arthur a look. " What do you mean? Ya think the crew could use some entertainment tonight or something?" He said in his rough Scottish tone. His eyes even remonded Alfred, s of the other man in front of him, except less dangerous and birght.

 

"Perhaps. I'll think later." The Captain said thoughtfully. He observed Alfred, his green eyes sweeping up Alfred's body. He swore they spent too much time looking at his lower regions. He felt his cheeks go red at the thought of it. He had heard that pirates were infamous for such things.

 

No. No. He was going to leave now. If he was fast, he could make a break for it. He glanced behind him, seeing if he could just bolt off toward the railing. Surely…...

Suddenly, the Captain pulled out a pistol, cocked the hammer back, and swiftly pointed it at him. "Don't even think about it. If you dare flee from me I'll put a bullet in between your eyes." He said coolly. He tilted his head and gave a smug smirk. "I wouldn't leave so soon if I were you. I thought we had something going."

"What?" Alfred said stupidly, dumbfounded. He felt his cheeks grow warm. Could he read minds or something? Did he somehow know Alfred was drawn to him? No, he wasn't, he just conveniently looked like the perfect man to be attracted to. That was all.

"Allistor. Do me a favor and knock him out for me, please." The British Captain said casually, as if they were discussing this matter over tea. "That mast looks like it's going to give out at any second." He gestured with his head at the mast not too far away, which was indeed on fire and showed signs of giving in at any moment.

"O' Course, Kirkland." Allistor complied, smirking mischievously. Alfred flinched at the name.

 

He had heard that name before. He remembered the General listing him off as one of the most dangerous criminals to sail the seven seas. This was the Captain Arthur Kirkland?? One of the most dangerous pirates and certainly one of the most wanted, having a record-holding price above his head? A nightmare used to scare children and inspired fear into even the leaders of the British military?

 

Oh, he was so screwed.

 

He wanted to move, he had to, he didn't want to die or become a helpless prisoner. He wanted to come home to his family and more importantly, Matthew. But then he remembered there was a gun pointed at his skull. He couldn't. In seconds the Scottish man was behind him

 

"Nighty night," Allistor said quietly, smirking. Then he felt something unknown knock him in the side of his skull, and the ground was jumping up to meet him.

 

____________________________________

 

 

There was a ringing in his ears. His head hurt like a ton of bricks had tumbled on top of him. No, scratch that. It felt like an entire building had collapsed on top of his head. What day was it again?

His body retracted at the light as he squinted his eyes. It was almost pitch black, save for a little window that let night light trickle in. It had been nightfall earlier..... How long had he been out?

Alfred opened his eyes fully now. He was in a cell. In front of him was a row of bars and a wooden door. Outside of the bars was an old wooden table.

The American blinked. He felt dread creep up his throat again. Oh no. If this was a cell, then he was in the brig. That could only mean.....

He remembered right then the events that occurred before he went under. His ship burning into the ocean, his crewmates dying all around him. The heavy burn on his left arm. He winced when his body chose to remind him it was still there. He definitely wasn't using that arm for weeks.

He wondered for a moment how many people made it out of there alive. A quick look around the brig told him that no one else had been taken prisoner. Did they all drown or get murdered by pirates? He shivered a little at the thought.

He remembered with an internal jolt the face of the Pirate Captain he had had the pleasure of meeting. The one who had ordered him to be held captive. His green eyes still shone luminously in his thoughts. Why hadn't he killed him? He was a merciless pirate, he killed dozens or even hundreds and stole things worth thousands to even millions. There was a reason people feared him. So why had he spared him?

Oh God, it wasn't just so his crew would be kept happy, would it? He had heard about pirates taking women and sometimes men just for the sake of using them for sexual desires and killing them afterward. In his opinion, that was so much worse. Now he was going to die a lot slower, and with a lot more drawn out humiliation.

 

He had to get out of here.

 

With much trouble, he was able to sit up. His whole body was a hundred times sorer than it had been before he was knocked out. Did the damned pirates just drag him across the floor? His red and white navy uniform was covered in dirt, soot, and blood. He rather hoped it wouldn't take him too long to get away and find help. He remembered his higher-ups talk of making port soon. Maybe with a little bit of luck, the ship he was now in hadn't gone far. He could sneak to a lifeboat and hope for the best

It wasn't a great plan, but it was better than sticking around for whatever torture the pirates had in store for him. Now he just needed to get out of this cell.

He slowly leaned on the wall and crept over to the table. He felt his heart beat faster as he saw the keys. No way. Did someone forget about these? He saw there was a large hook, supposedly where the keys were really supposed to be.

He leaned against the bars and examined them. They were far enough apart to where he could extend his forearm up to his shoulder and reach the table. He did so, hissing in pain when he realized he had used his injured limb instead of his good one. Oops.

He sighed in relief when he got the keys, swiftly grabbing them and trying each one on the lock. He felt anticipation mount in his chest as the door was unlocked. He quickly walked out and closed the door again. He placed the keys back where they came from and searched for a door.

 

In small time, he was running up a length of stairs, anxiety, and excitement buzzing in his ears. It felt almost too good to be true. He stopped around a corner and peeked over the hallways. It was dimly lit, a simple lantern hanging from the ceiling, burning oil. The dark wood was clean, save for slight dust and dirt here and there.

Alfred yelped when something connected with his back, pushing him to the floor. He fell to the hard floor, screaming when he felt his injured arm crumple beneath him. So it really was too good to be true.

"Oi look!" A man yelled, laughing at the American who had fallen to the floor. "The Cap'n was right. He did try to escape!" He had a sword sheathed, and he pointed it at Alfred.

The Captain? Kirkland had anticipated this? It all came to Alfred now. Those keys really were just a setup. He had been tricked. Arthur had been trying to test him, and he had foolishly taken the bait. Oh god, he cursed his own stupidity sometimes.

"Hands up, boy." Ordered another man, coming up behind him. Alfred turned his head to see two more pirates, both equally armed and very much ready to overpower the poor soldier.

Alfred felt the sweat on his brow as he propped himself up on his elbows, and then his knees. He felt his heart thunder in his ears as he fought to come up with a solution. He had none really. He had no real means to defend himself except for flinging himself into death's arms.

This was it then. He was going to die. He sighed in defeat and raised his arms, staring up at the pirates with the strongest stone-cold gaze he could muster. If he was going to go out, then he would go out with dignity. The pirates chuckled and laughed mirthlessly as they grabbed the American by the arms and shoved him to his feet.

Alfred grunted with pain as the pirate on his left forcefully led him down the halls. He seemed to care none about his injured arm. In fact, he all but smirked and pulled him harder. He felt a massive feeling of defeat in his mind as he was led up more stairs. He really had no chance of escape, did he? All that was left for him was torture and an assured death.

Alfred blinked as he was brought out to the deck. They gave him no time to recover as they pushed him along, one of then grunting that he moved too slow.  
Alfred made sure to get a good look around. There weren't many men out of the deck, mainly ones who seemed to be on watch duty. The stars gleamed in the sky, telling Alfred that he mustn't have been out for long. An hour or two at most?

After leading him up a pair of grand stairs onto the raised deck, they had stopped in front of a huge authentic-looking door. It was painted in a thick coat of dark red paint, and it looked immensely put out. This must of been the Captain's cabin. They were taking him to Kirkland then? Then what? Was the man going to kill him? Or something worse?

The pirates nodded to one another, and then the one holding Alfred on the right knocked on the door. There was a pause.

"Enter." Came a very familiar voice. It was Arthur Kirkland. Alfred felt himself wanting to vomit now.

They opened the door and walked in. The second Alfred was in, the ones holding him shoved him to the floor. He fell with a loud grunt, at the very least grateful that his injured arm didn't get crushed underneath his body again. One of the pirates cackled at the sight of him in pain on the wooden floors.

"We have your prisoner, Captain." Said one of the men. His accent was a colonial one, Alfred immediately noticed, and not a mainland one.

Alfred blinked numbly, adjusting his glasses and looking up. In front of him was a large work desk, with a pair of chairs. Sitting behind it was none other than Captain Kirkland, quill raised. His desk in front of him was filled with all sorts of maps and parchment. A large ink bottle lay opened, which appeared to be in use.

"Thank you. Go report to Allistor, I'm sure something could be done on this ship." Arthur ordered, not looking up from what he was doing. The pirates nodded quietly, one looking particularly disappointed that they couldn't watch Alfred get punished.

Alfred shivered, struggling to get up. He had been thrown over one too many times in the last few hours. It hurt all over to move. Alfred just wanted to lie down and sleep.

"You are allowed to get up, you know," Kirkland said casually. "Come sit down, lad." He tapped his quill lightly and pointed it at the chair that sat in front of the desk.

Alfred felt a little confused at that, but the last thing he wanted to do was piss off the man that was keeping him alive right now. He slowly got up, whilst trying hard not to inflict any more pain upon himself. As he did, he made sure to get a good look at the room around him.

 

It was immensely interesting to look at. Large shelves filled with all kinds of books and what looked like rolled-up maps adorned the walls. Here and there, some sort of trinket or artifact sat on a shelf, glittering dully in the light of the candles and lanterns lighting up the room.

Other things such as trunks and a wardrobe lay in other places. A couple actually had clothes in them, while another couple had a number of riches and coins, most likely all stolen objects from other poor souls. Another door was tucked up in a corner. It was most likely where the bed and other such private furniture was. A pair of huge glass-paned windows directly behind Kirkland's desk, giving the viewer a perfect look at the crashing sea waves.

After what seemed like an eternity to Alfred, he sat down in the chair directly across from the Captain. He felt his insides do acrobatics as he awaited the other's response. After a minute or two, the Captain sighed softly and put the quill in its jar. He propped his head on the palm of his gloved hand and looked at Alfred with interest.

"So." He said smoothly, the corners of his mouth tugging up a little. "I imagine my humble captain quarters are visually enchanting?"

Alfred didn't know how much more confusing his day could get. Was the man just playing a game now? He wished he would stop. His head raged pain in his mind as he thought of an answer. He wasn't going to compliment this likely ruthless monster. He wanted to just get to the point, really.

"What do you want?" He said clearly, nearly wincing at how hard it was to keep his voice steady. His throat was dry and sore. He hesitated. "How long have I been out for?"

Arthur raised an enormous eyebrow. "Which question would you prefer to be answered first?" He said in a seemingly amused tone. Alfred glared at him for that. The Captain seemed to be observing him, even in this way. It was almost like he wanted to know exactly what he would do next.

No. He was being an idiot again. "How long have I been out?" Alfred repeated, trying not to let his gaze falter. He was embarrassed to admit it, but the other's eyes were, well, complete eye candy. He had never seen such things. They glowed and not even the most expensive green jewels that littered his cabin could begin to compare to the shades. No one could recreate that, in Alfred's opinion.

"Only about forty-five minutes actually." The Captain snorted. "I must say, that was particularly longer than I thought. I think we were rather lucky you didn't wake up before your ship finally went down."

 

Alfred froze. He felt sick gather in his stomach. He could still hear men screaming and shouting orders. He could still smell the blood and smoke. He should really just be smelling the wood and seawater of the cabin now. It actually smelled a little bit like roses in here. That was weird. Why would a pirate Captain have flowers?

"H-how many did you kill?" Alfred asked anxiously. He wanted to stay brave, to show Arthur that he would not surrender, but it was proving to be a hard feat. He was never really that close to any of his fellow soldiers. Most found him too loud or talkative, and those who didn't never seemed to want to make time for him. He didn't dwell on that too often.

Kirkland gave a low chuckle. "If you want to know, some of your men did survive. It's not like we hunted down every single man and murdered them. Your ship had hundreds on it. Some were bound to get away. Better for us really, made looting the vessel easier."

Alfred swallowed and averted his eyes. Kirkland's eyes were swimming with emotions he couldn't read, something not good for his mind right now. He knew for a fact that this man in front of him was dangerous, but there was something else. God, or maybe that was just his headache playing tricks, demanding rest.

"And as for your first question." Kirkland continued, looking at Alfred with interest. "I suppose I thought you'd be too much worth to kill right now."

Alfred frowned in confusion. He hadn't been expecting that. "What?" He blurted, utterly dumbfounded.

"Do I have a need to repeat myself?" The Captain said, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "You're not the only one who lost men in that raid. It was a big ship, I knew I had to make sacrifices. Is it wrong of me to want an exchange? To kidnap other people's men and make them my own? I do it all the time lad."

This was all making no sense to Alfred. What was he saying exactly? As far as Alfred knew, there had been no other prisoners. Why was Arthur really so intent on keeping him? "Doesn't make much sense." He muttered quietly. Kirkland seemed to have heard him anyway.

"You're rather slow, you know." He said, voicing irritation. "I mean I wish for you to join my crew. Well, it's either that or I turn you over to my crew and let them have their way with you. I might even call first grabs on you. You're quite a sight."

 

Alfred blushed hard and backed away. Well, he leaned back against his chair anyway. Anything to put some distance between him and this man. Was this man seriously saying he wanted to have first dibs on him? For torture or heck, these were pirates. He probably wanted to rape him. And then hand him over to his crew for the same thing.

"W-Why would I join your crew?" Alfred pressed. Arthur raised his brow, giving him a look. Alfred looked back. So what if he couldn't think on the same levels of some pirate captain? Did that really mean anything?

"To save yourself from death I suppose." The captain said, gesturing his hand in a sort of dramatic way. "I'm sure you know what I mean by the alternative. I don't take you for someone who wants to die young like this, right?"

Alfred thought for a moment. He didn't want to die, that was for sure. He was only nineteen, he wanted to live out his life. He wanted to find love and maybe even have a family. He wanted to live to see his brother again, as he had promised him. But did he really have to do that by joining a pirate crew?

"Is your soldier complex too big for survival?" The Captain said, sounding a little bored. "Such a shame really. I was interested in you."

"Why?"

"Heh. Not your place to be demanding things." Arthur chortled. "It's not every day I meet someone who's willing to stand up to me like that. Most swear I'm the devil and either try to flee or 'slay' me. It's so easy to make them give up. You're the first person in so long who didn't. You have potential."

Alfred snarled. "I'm not becoming some evil pirate." Definitely not. It was more than just him. Of course, a pirate was the opposite of his heroic dreams. He had pretended to be a pirate when he was little, just for play, but that was just childish antics. And what would his parents think? His father worked for the church!, Would he ever even be allowed to see his brother again?

"I'm hurt," Kirkland said mockingly. He smirked at Alfred. "Would you rather me forget mercy and tie you to the bed and ravage you then? Believe me, that sounds much more appetizing." He licked his lower lip in earnest.

Alfred nearly gagged, he definitely brought his hand to mouth. What the hell? Why did the butterflies in his stomach react so strongly to that? Why were there even butterflies in his stomach at all?? "No!" He yelled before he could stop himself. This man was such a pervert. Why was he falling into his trap?

"Then you only have one choice then." The Captain said. "Haven't you heard of me?"

Alfred nodded once. "You're Captain Arthur Kirkland. The higher-ups talk about you all the time. Why does it matter?"

"Hmm. Thought they would. Then you know that it's a wonder why I'm sparing you now. I'm not going to just drop you off at the next port. It's either you take my offer or you die a very slow and humiliating death. Simple as it gets."

Alfred inhaled deeply, not sure what to do. He was at a dead end. He really only had one choice. He couldn't die. He couldn't imagine the look on Matthew's face if word got back that he didn't make it. He would not, could not do that to him. He slowly took in a breath. "What's the catch then?"

"Same pay as your job as a soldier for starters. You begin at the lowest point though, I'm afraid. Scrubbing decks and such. The more you earn everyone's trust, the better jobs I give you. Might even earn my own trust and work alongside me."

Arthur stopped explaining, giving Alfred a chance to answer. It wasn't quite that bad actually. Same pay as his old job? Great. He could handle cleaning duties and such. It might be a bit boring, but it was better than nothing.

"Fine," Alfred said slowly. "I'll join your crew."

Arthur smiled and held out his hand to shake. "Lovely. Welcome to the crew of the Emerald Rose."

Alfred hesitated, not sure if he wanted to touch him. He shook his hand anyway. His life would be made significantly worse if he kept holding a grudge over the one who held it in the palm of his hand. "Thanks." He said shrewdly.

"Thanks, Captain." Arthur corrected. He seemed to loom over Alfred now, using the same tone he used to give orders. "You take orders from me now. You address me as Captain, or Captain Kirkland, or just sir. Nothing else."

"Yes, sir," Alfred said, not liking how it tasted on his tongue. He didn't quite like pledging his allegiance to him, but he knew he had to.

"So. May I ask, what is your name?" Arthur asked, tilted his head in earnest. Alfred noticed he wore earrings. Just golden loops really, and bundles of thread attached to small metal at his lobe. How had he not noticed he had piercings?

"Alfred Jones." He answered. He felt something in his stomach heaven at Arthur now knowing his name. He chose to ignore it.

"Alfred. Hmmm, I like it." Kirkland said, seeming to be tasting his name. "Now then. First things first. Report to my first mate. His name is Allistor." Alfred tilted his head. So the Scottish man was his first mate then. "He'll tell you where you'll be sleeping. He's out on the deck right now. I'm sure you'll recognize him. He'll teach you the ropes."

There was silence. "Does that mean you're telling me to leave?" He asked.

"It's an order," Arthur said sharply.

 

Alfred sighed. There was something about taking orders from Arthur that set him off. It was as if a small, almost nonexistent part of him was hungry for Arthur's presence. Then again, maybe not. He hoped not. "Yes, sir."

 

____________________

 

Arthur's eyes lingered on the door where Alfred had just shut moments ago. He could still feel his heart beating. He was an expert at hiding emotions, so his strange interest in the lad had gone without large suspicion.

But it was still there. He couldn't even describe what he had felt when he had first met him. Alfred. Those sky blue, no, his eyes couldn't be specified to one shade of blue. His eyes held them all, in his opinion. They had been twisted in fury and just simply need to get out alive.

There was no hate. No disgust, even. No desperation. The boy had been desperate, but it was simulated into cold bravery, and admittedly some brash stupidity. To top it off, just his presence alone sent Arthur's stomach into a frenzy.

Alfred was certainly an interesting person. All the more reason to keep an eye on him. He wouldn't let any opportunity go to waste. He didn't know what the boy had done to him, but he wanted to find out what. He refused to believe that it really was what it could be.

 

After a while, he finally grabbed his quill again and set back to work.

 

 

Chapter One End

 

 

________________


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred is introduced to the life of the crew on the Emerald Rose. Here, he meets Kiku and Yao, as well as getting well acquainted with Allistor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10/21/19  
> The original notes say I couldn't believe the seven comments and near two hundred hits I got when the first chapter came out. Oh lord, if only I knew what was coming XD
> 
>  
> 
> The way this chapter goes had been bothering me since fricking May. But during May, the story wasn't done yet, so I made myself wait until I was done. And then, well and then I think I just forgot. I had other things, like real life. I'm not a robot, guys. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, in the original draft, this story had a timeline, which is April 1637.

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"So. You're the kid who Kirkland spared." Allistor says gruffly, his steel green eyes quietly looking him over. He may share the same eye color with Arthur, but Allistor's seemed colder, rougher and experienced. It was quite clear why Arthur had him as the first mate. He would be capable of scaring small children in their sleep. Not like Arthur probably already did that.

 

"Yeah. I guess you're Allistor then?" Alfred said nervously. Allistor was huge. He was about six feet exact. He was intimidating like this in front of Alfred. And he was hoping for a friendly welcome into the crew he knew nothing about except that they just slaughtered his previous ship.

"Aye. You don' have to call me 'sir' or nothin' like that. Jus' Allistor." The Scotsman said. He gave a knowing smirk and held out a large hand for Alfred to shake. "Ya old enough to drink?"

Alfred frowns as he shakes Allistor's hand. It's firm and strong and almost rattles his body in response. "Yeah. I'm nineteen. I don't drink much anyway. Always thought it tastes gross." To be fair, there wasn't much alcohol to go around back at home anyways. Just rum and cheap wine. Drinking was strictly prohibited amongst the navy, so he hadn't actually drunk anything like that since he turned eighteen.

"Hm. Will have ta get used to it then. Mind you, we usually only have rum but, most of us tend to enjoy drinking parties after raids." Allistor chuckled lightly. He gestured for Alfred to follow. "I wager yer' quite exhausted. I can take ya to where you'll be stayin'. It's better if I go over the rules in the mornin'. Yer' mind will be sharper."

"Thanks," Alfred said politely, not at all even sure if he should be so nice to a guy who could've very well killed so many people he used to know. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. He just had to hope tomorrow is a better day. He swore this whole experience was going to turn him insane.

Allistor pointed out important parts of the deck on his way over to the other side of the ship. The room under the Captain's cabin was used as efficient storage. It seemed the ship was big enough for that. Big enough to accompany at least fifty men and all of their needs.

 

As they walked, many of the men on board glanced or turned their heads to look at the two of them. Alfred could feel eyes on him, and it was more than uncomfortable. He swore one of them snickered, and a pair tending to the mast seemed to have started talking of him. Alfred felt the sweat on his brow return.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Alfred said quietly. The answer he received was a rather entertained laugh from Allistor. His laugh was like thunder, and yet still not as scary as most things Alfred could think of.

"My, you're slow," Allistor said, clearly amused. "It's not just every day our cold and distant Cap'n spares some average Navy soldier. Some bloke steals or swipes lil' more than their average pay, and the Cap'n throws them into the sea. Not you though." Allistor claps a hand on Alfred's shoulder, his force unsettling the American a little.

"I can't be the only one, right?" Alfred asked warily.

"Course not. Can't actually remember a lot, but he does get 'merciful'." Allistor said in a mocking tone. They had reached the other end of the ship; the bow. Allistor pulled open a pair of worn-down looking doors. The dark wood seemed to have more evidence of the use and age and traces of exposure to the sea and weather than the Captain's cabin door. "Course, he doesn't really ever. I advise you to not cross the line any more than ya already have"

"Yeah, thanks," Alfred said, following Allistor, who stunningly enough, actually held the door out for him. That was weird, he didn't think pirates were the type who did that. He blinked a little from the increase in light as they walked down the halls and stairs. "So do you guys have, like, hammocks or bunks or something?"

"We're not the Navy, lad. Though I do admit, the idea does sound interestin'." Allistor shook his head. "No. We have bunks. You'll be sharin' with a few others in a room. The higher rank yer is on this ship, I might give ya a better room. Soon enough, you might even have a whole room ter yourself. If ya last that long."

Alfred felt his spine chill at what was supposed to be some mean joke comment. If he lasted that long. He'd rather not think about that right now."I don't mind that. I slept with a bunch of guys in the same room on the Navy ship. As long as they don't snore, I'll be fine." He hated snoring. That crap was very hard to fall asleep with. It was worse when they're up to thirty men sleeping in the same room.

"Good, I'm starting to like ya, lad," Allistor said. He gestured to the hall they were now in. "This is where most of the men sleep. Be as loud as you want on yer own risk." He went over to the first door on the right. " 'sure we have a bunk empty in this one. These three are actually quiet fellows, so I'd figure you'll be fine." He sharply knocked on the dull wood.

 

The door opened. A short man who looked to be around Alfred's age stepped out. He looks foreign, and nearly... Blank. His deep brown eyes were devoid of any emotions that would show in any normal person. He looked up at Allistor through his ink-black hair and short bangs. Allistor was quite obviously more than a foot taller than him.

"May I help you, Allistor?" The man said politely, a most definitely Asian origin accent in his voice. He had trouble pronouncing certain letters. He looked a little tired, but it also didn't look like he was going to let that get in the way of his politeness towards the two. Alfred quite liked the first impression he was getting actually.

"Kiku, this is Alfred. He's needin' a bunk ter sleep in. You've got a spare, right?" Allistor said, getting straight to the point.

"Hai. It is a pleasure to meet you, Alfred." Kiku said kindly, bowing. Alfred blinked, not at all sure how to respond to Kiku's polite nature. Honestly, when he thought roommates, he had thought the usual pirate stereotype. Clearly, he needed to stop doing that.

"Thanks. Nice to meet you too." Alfred said awkwardly. "Who am I sharing with?" He tried. He had no idea how to act in front of these supposedly dangerous men. Kiku didn't seem that dangerous.

"Just me and my brother, and Herakles. I and my brother work down in the kitchens, so we tend to be early risers. I hope you do not mind." Kiku said. Alfred could not relate. The American inwardly groaned. He had certain childhood memories of him refusing to wake up in the mornings only to be lured out when his mother told him breakfast was ready. He just couldn't resist food.

"Nope. That's fine." Alfred lied. He covered up a yawn and tried to speak normally. "When do they serve breakfast?" Now that the initial danger of death was over, fatigue was beginning to return to his senses. The prospect of a bed in the other room didn't help much.

"Sharp in the morning. Seven 'o clock. We don't serve any late bloomers, so you oughta get up in time." Allistor informed. He patted Alfred on the back one last time and gave a farewell signal to Kiku. "It's gettin' late. Kirkland will want me back on deck here in a mo'. I'll leave you with Kiku. Whatever you can ask me, you can ask him."

 

"Right. Thanks." Alfred muttered, even just the name Kirkland sending a new wave of negative emotions down his brain. He quietly and as nicely as he could, stepped past Kiku into the room. It was a small room, and a row of bunks sat against the walls. The only evidence of belongings were trunks or other possessions that sat underneath the bunks or against the wall. A single night desk lay at the other end of the room, a single oil lamp being the only light source in the room. Above that was a small dark window, the nighttime light peeking in.

 

On one of the bunks, a man with shaggy brown hair lay curled up in the covers, clearly in deep asleep. He slept like a cat, it seemed. He had his arms curled up into his pillow. He seemed at peace sleeping away as he did.

"Oyasuminasai, Allistor," Kiku said in farewell. He spoke the language perfectly, and Alfred couldn't recognize it. Beyond the fact, it was Asian of course. He never knew the difference between Chinese or Japanese or Korean, or any foreign languages really. The only ones he could immediately distinguish were French and German. Maybe Spanish.

 

"So, you're from... Asia?" Alfred said stupidly. In any other case, he wouldn't have cared that his small knowledge about other countries and kingdoms insulted people. However, now he was alone on the same pirate ship that destroyed his own, forced into a deal to stay as a member of the crew in exchange for his life. It was a good way to put your whole life into perspective, to say the least.

"Hai. I am from Japan. The kingdom where the sun rises." Kiku said. Alfred admittedly had no idea what that last statement meant. The Asian man showed the other to the lower bunk on the right wall. "This one and the top one are both empty. You can choose from the two."

"Alright then," Alfred said indifferently. At the navy, he had no choice in where he slept, so he didn't mind much to whichever bunk he slept on. Actually, the navy ship had hammocks. He would have to get used to the stationary feeling. Speaking of which, it was then he realized he was still in his blood and soot-covered uniform. How long would that pass?

"Is there any spare clothes I could use?" Alfred blurted out.

 

"There are some that the last man who used that bunk underneath it." Kiku provided. "Whatever is under there is now yours, if you need it." He sat down on the lower bunk next to Alfred. "If you do not mind, there is another room to change in over there. I wish to settle in for the night."

"Right," Alfred said. He got onto his hands and knees and peeked under the bed. All sorts of small trunks and belongings lay underneath. Alfred pulled one as quietly as he could. "Should I worry about waking up the other guy over there?" Alfred said, remembering the man in the corner, fast asleep like a feline.

"Herakles? No. He is a heavy sleeper." Kiku answered.

Alfred nodded and relaxed a little as he went through the previous roommate's belongings. It made him wonder how many men perished every month. The thought made him a little sick. That's not to say the navy didn't risk and lose men too, but with pirates, it seemed a little less necessary. Or at least, more justified in Alfred's opinion.

 

After rooting around, he found fresh changes of clothes, including socks and a pair of shoes, and even a leather belt. They were surprisingly clean, with only some dust from the lack of use. Alfred considered himself lucky. He carefully got up with his new clothes and located the aloft door Kiku had instructed him to use.

The extra room seemed very small, its only purpose looking to be a relieving room. Alfred swiftly changed, revived to finally be getting rid of the pungent smell of utter death he wore. It wasn't a fun thing, being covered in blood. He wondered how others dealt with it.

 

He had no bandages for his left arm still. The pain screamed at him as he moved the arm, trying as hard as possible not to brush the sleeves of his new shirt over it. He had his fair share of injuries. Such things as falling off family horses or climbing trees and twisting an ankle on a branch. Animal bites, and significant burns from his younger self's curious encounter with the fireplace. This burn could be very high on the list of how bad and painful it was. It hurt like hell, and blisters were starting to appear. The overall experience made him think twice about the idea of fire altogether. Rather silly, yes. He knew that. Maybe his luck would still be generous and there would be something to cover up his burn with.

As quietly as he could, he closed the door behind him and brought his old uniform back the bunk. He had no idea what to do with it. He wasn't keeping it. After all, he was technically not part of the navy anymore. Kirkland made sure of that.He turned to where Kiku's bunk was, only to see the foreign man asleep. At least he didn't snore.

He quietly folded it up and put it in the trunk he found the clothes in. As he did, he heard something make an impact with the wooden bottom. He froze. Surely that was just a belt buckle? No, now his curiosity was getting the best of him.

He dug to the bottom of the trunk. At the bottom was a silver dagger. It was average-sized, with a hilt of silver and a blade made of some random metal Alfred did not know how to recognize. Slowly, he picked it up and examined it. His reflection stared calmly back at him from the blade.

 

He hesitated. Kiku had said whatever was underneath the bunk was his now. So, that meant this dagger was his too now, right? He no longer had his sword or gun after the raid. Would he piss someone off if he kept it on him? He would need it. Did any of the crew trust him with a weapon? Surely the crewmates were gifted weapons upon joining the crew. Life on the seas was a dangerous one. And now he was on a pirate ship.....

He came to a decision. He slowly leaned over and stuffed the dagger underneath his pillow. In the morning, he had to remember to fasten it to his belt. Sleeping with a dagger in your side was only just slightly uncomfortable.

 

Even with his face buried in the pillow, his ears still felt like they were ringing. He was utterly exhausted, and his body ached with pain. He had to wonder how more experienced men ever dealt with this kind of thing. He certainly couldn't even get the scenes out of his head. He couldn't imagine witnessing thousands of deaths a day and then emerging the next day as if nothing happened. He could barely bear to even think of Matthew at this point.

And then, of course, there was his new Captain. He hated calling him that already. Arthur. He was dangerous, egotistical, and only very slightly attractive. Yes, that. He had not ever imagined meeting such a rebel, and certainly not like this.

 

He had no idea what to think about Arthur. He more or so wanted to avoid the subject, if only he could. Arthur did something weird to him. He made his ears turn red and his stomach feel ridiculous. The menacing man seemed to spark more than fear into his mind. He didn't like at all what it was or how it felt like. He could just imagine his silver voice, biting into his senses. His hands wrapped around.......

He groaned softly and buried his face deeper into the pillow. Certainly not. Nope. Sleep. Sleep time.

 

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He didn't sleep well that night. How could he? The moment he lay his head on the pillow, the memories of the day came bouncing back at him. He lay wide awake in bed, unable to shake off the terrors that replayed in his mind if he closed his eyes for even a moment. 

 

And even when he finally went to sleep, his memories followed him into his dreams. He dreamed over and over again about the day. All of the death, the lieutenant yelling at him to wake up, the fire spreading around the halls, the fear of never seeing Matthew again, and then Arthur….. 

 

He ignored that last thought as much as he could. Naturally.

 

By the time it was morning and he felt a hand shaking him awake, he felt like he had only slept less than seconds. He still felt sore, though he didn't think for a minute that the pain would go away that quickly. It would be with him for weeks. Pain was such a jerk.

 

"Alfred. You need to get up." A voice said quietly into his ear. It was Kiku.

"Mmmmm. Five more minutes." Alfred mumbled sleepily, burying his head into the pillow. It wasn't nearly as soft as the ones back on the navy ship. He liked it. 

"Alfred-san. I was told to show you where the mess hall is. I am not allowed to let you miss breakfast today. Please wake up." Kiku said patiently.

Alfred's stomach growled audibly at him at the prospect of food. Food. His greatest weakness. He did miss a meal yesterday thanks to......well, things. His day would suck more without food... "Fine," Alfred mumbled. He groggily got up and rubbed at his eyes, the sunlight harming his vision.

"Arigatō," Kiku said, moving away now. "You can come down with me to the kitchens. I was ordered to bring you to Allistor after you awaken." He further explained, cleaning up the lantern and candles that had burned out from the previous night.

 

"'Okay…." Alfred complied. He made quick work of getting ready, putting on his belt and boots swiftly. He nearly forgot the dagger, which he looped to his belt. He still had no bandages for the burn. He turned to Kiku. "You wouldn't happen to have any bandages right?"

"No,I apologize. If you like, my brother always has medical supplies on hand." Kiku said politely. It seemed second nature for him to speak politely. Alfred wondered why he was on a pirate ship. He saw Alfred's arm and frowned. "That looks like it stings. Why did you not ask for attention before?"

Alfred felt his ears go pink. "I-I... It doesn't hurt that much." Alfred muttered, covering it up with his sleeve. He winced when it brushed the blistering burn, which had started to grow more red and pink. Who would he have asked? Arthur? Hell no. Allistor? Well, he was too scared to ask last night. The pirate was pracitally in charge of him now.

Kiku shook his head. "It is alright. You would have to have gone to a boatswain for that. Allistor wourdn't of been able to introduce you to ours rast night."

Alfred tilted his head. "Pirates have those? Who's in charge?" His boatswain, or he supposed he should use the term 'old boatswain' was tightly strict and actually seemed to hate Alfred and his tendencies to step out of line.

"Yes, we do. His name is Sheamus." Kiki answered. "Are you ready to go now?"

"Yep."

 

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"Ai-ya! You let him go to sleep with that unnoticed?" Kiku's older brother chastised. Yao turned out to be a man only an inch taller than Kiku, and with an even heavier Asian accent. His long raven black hair was tied in a low ponytail, which swayed with his movements. His eyes were huge and brown, and he looked much more like a girl in a way. His face was sort of round and had feminine features. Even his voice was women sounding in a way. He wore lots of shades of red.

"I didn't-" Alfred began, but the Chinese man cut him off.

"Never mind that. I will get you patched up. The medical service on this ship is atrocious anyway. Sit down here." Yao instructed, pulling out a random chair in the kitchen tables. The kitchen was two large rooms connected, the door being in the mess hall. It seemed much more spacious than what Alfred had been expecting. Clean and dirty pots and pans and dishes were everywhere, and the whole place smelled of cooked meat and greens. It made Alfred's stomach complain at him.

"Thank you," Alfred said, eager to get rid of yet another memory of that terrible night. It felt so long away now as if it wasn't just yesterday.

"Do not thank me. Just make sure Sheamus keeps a better eye on you. He always overlooks younger crew members." Yao said. He seemed to act like a mother to him. He furrowed his chocolate brown eyes as he brought out a box full of foreign medical supplies. "Kiku told me about you. It is nice to meet you, Jones." He added kindly. "Give me your arm."

Alfred held out his left arm obediently. "Which part of Asia are you from? Your voice sounds different." He asked as Yao started to get to work.

"China," Yao answered. "My mother raised me in the southern lands of China. She married my stepfather, Kiku's soon to be father, when I was nineteen. That makes him my half-brother. This is going to sting." He warned Alfred.

"Just hurry it up," Alfred said. He winced as a type of cool ointment was being applied to his burn. Yao's family stories sounded interesting. "How did you two end up on a pirate ship?"

"Debts. That is all you need to know." Yao dismissed. "I would not ask you for your personal backstories if I did not already know." Alfred blushed a little. He was rather blunt sometimes, but usually, he never noticed. He had an idea of it. After all, he went so stupid as to not be able to guess why most people tended to avoid him. The Chinese man stopped adding ointment and patted Alfred's wrist. "Let that sit for three minutes. Do not move your hand."

"Sorry."

"If you want to know, I also have two more half brothers and a half-sister. They do not reside on this ship though." Yao said nicely. He began to wrap Alfred's forearm tightly in white bandages, making the American wince more. "It's a pity, I miss them everyday."

"Yeah. I know how that feels." Alfred murmurs, remembering his own family. He almost wants to hate that stupid Kirkland for doing this to him; for never being able to see his family again, but he can't. It's weird and it really scares him.

"How long have you been on the sea?" Alfred asks, trying to find a distraction from his internal problems.

"Nearly all of my life. It is quite a way to live. You?"

"Almost two years." He frowns, remembering he hadn't seen Matthew into at that time. Way to go Alfred! You suck at ignoring your pain!

 

"Do you like it?" Yao asked, ignoring how Alfred winced at his movements. Alfred simply shrugs. He doesn't know anymore. Too many things cloud his judgement now. Why was everything circling back to Kirkland? Didn't he meet him only a day ago? "I must ask, how did you survive Kirkland?"

 

"What? I don't know." Alfred said honestly. Arthur was a complete mystery to him. He had only known him for less than twenty-four hours, and he had already managed to invade his everyday thoughts. He tried to recall the conversation he had with the formidable captain. "He said I have....potential? Whatever that means.*

"That is a lie," Yao said flatly. He grabbed a small blade and cut the end of the bandage. "Even then you would still be dead. Kirkland is a highly feared criminal. Even for such a reason, he would not think about sparing you that easily. I do not take you for someone who could be clever enough to deceive someone like Kirkland."

"Hey-!"

"Meaning our dear sweet Captain has a real interest in you." Yao finished smartly. He had begun to put his medical supplies away now. His feminine like hands almost gracefully lining up the medical tools into an organized setup. "Or he really has lost his marbles. Whichever one. I do not care."

"I...um." Alfred protested stupidly. Interest? Arthur? In him? Sure, that was the logical explanation. Kirkland had practically stated it himself, if one thought about it. The explanation he himself would have come too soon enough. But why? It made Alfred's stomach crawl to know Arthur had possibly spared him for that reason. But he was still in the dark. If what Arthur had said previously was a lie, then what was the truth? Did he even want to know?

 

"Come to me when you need to change those," Yao said, pointing at the bandages. "The other cooks probably have the morning meal ready. I wager you are hungry?"

"Starving," Alfred said, food always being the only thing to stir him out of negative emotions.

"Thought so. Come with me." Yao said, gesturing for him to follow him as had got up.

 

 

The mess hall was a large room consisting of large wooden tables and chairs. Here, Alfred was finally able to get an idea of how large the crew of the Emerald Rose was. It was huge, to say the least. Alfred could barely count. Maybe a bit over seventy? Some seemed tired from night shifts, others joking and enjoying banter with their company. One group in the back corner had a game of cards out. The atmosphere was loud and the smell of food hung in the air.

 

Kiku had told Alfred to go find Allistor again so he could be assigned his first job as a crewmember. Allistor was like Arthur in this way. It was a piece of cake to find him in a crowd. The American found him easily. It helped how unique his hair was. Red hair was normal, but Allistar's was Allistar's bright and seemed to be the exact shade of flames.

Allistor introduced him to the boatswain in charge of him, Sheamus. He was a tall man, but not as tall as Allistor. He had dark brunette hair and matching eyes, a patch of freckles present on his cheeks. He seemed to be strict and calculating, more accurate to the pirate stereotype than anyone else he had formally met on this ship.

"Just call me Sean," Sheamus said explained as he sat with an Alfred ravenously eating his food. It wasn't as good as what the navy cooks make, but Alfred was able to enjoy it nonetheless. He wasn't usually that picky with food. "You're in luck. In the last few raids, our carpenter has  
been in need of a new mate. That will be you."

Alfred nodded slowly. "Whats a mate?" He asked curiously. He had heard that term, but it wasn't quite popular in the navy. The navy was also basically the only knowledge he had of how most sailing stuff worked. It was quite the disadvantage, now that he was in unknown territory. Lucky him.

"Assistant, in a sense. Help him clean up his space, things like that. The Captain made it clear you get the same pay as your old job until promotion. Work hard, and your next promotion will be with the sails. Got it?" Sean said, looking Alfred directly in the eye. His brown eyes were hard, no warmth really that present. They reminded Alfred of shining insects, like beetles.

"Yeah. I think so...." Alfred said. That was a little out of line, wasn't he supposed to clean like a cabin boy or something? He wasn't going to complain though. Anything to make his experiences on this pirate ship optimistic and not horrific was fine by him. "Do i get a sword or something?"

 

"Do we look like we can distribute weapons like that?" Sean asks, and Alfred shrinks away, nearly dropping his bread. He needs to remember to stop being an idiot. Sadly, for him it was like chickens trying to fly. "Once you get paid enough, buy your own. Or steal one off somebody in our next raid."

Oh yeah, raids. Alfred suddenly didn't feel all that hungry anymore. "I….I don't have to help in those ...raid things, right?" He asked nervously.  
He didnt like the idea of stealing and robbing and killing....and more killing. It sounded horrible.

 

Sean just shook his head." If you don't want to, then sure. You can volunteer for watch duty. Just don't be trying to get the money by other means. Kirkland runs a tight ship."

"Right." Alfred said, not liking the mention of the person ruining his life. He wasn't even sure if ruin was the right word, his brain seemed to be so uncomfortable using it.

 

"I'll let you finish your meal. Report to me on deck once you're done." Sean nodded at Alfred and promptly left. No goodbye or anything. How rude, Alfred thinks. He stares at his food. Why wasn't he hungry anymore?

 

He almost hated pirate life already.

 

 

Chapter 2 End

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, Sheamus is not another Kirkland brother. I have a backstory set up for that. Sean is an Oc I made up for this story. It's not pronounced "seen" its "shuan"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur has a rather strange request for Alfred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a warning here. Some inappropriate stuff makes a return here. Of course, this is Francis's debut, so you should've guessed as much.  
> I love writing Francis's character. He is my favorites, Arthur and Alfred being in the top of course. Lots of French in this chapter. Sorry if that annoys anyone.
> 
> 10/23/19  
> This chapter was ridden with crappy mistakes. And bad French. I apologize if I offended anyone, past me is stupid. :p  
> There's a bit more dialogue, considering it bugged me how Arthur interrupts them like that, and Kiku only said one sentence.

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The Shipwright, or the Ship's Carpenter, was a thick-skinned man at the age of thirty-five. Richard wasn't very tall, but he was wide and had a strong body from years of working hard with wood and tools. His features were rough, and his face adorned with growing facial hair. He had bright blue eyes and long brown hair tied in a short ponytail. He had tanned skin littered with freckles from a life at sea.

 

He seemed to have given Alfred a warm welcome. He explained to him that he'd had quite a few new mates, so breaking in a new one wasn't hard for him. His room, which was only one floor underneath the deck, served as his workplace as well as his living quarters.

"Sheamus doesn't usually give me new mates. He usually forces me to pick them out." Richard continued. He was rummaging around in the corner of the room, where piles of tools and spare wood were stored. It was Alfred's second week on the ship now. He didn't know whether or not he really had any positive thoughts right now.

He had learned to like what he had in a sense. His roommates were nice to him. He and Kiku got along very well, and although Yao seemed to argue with him from time to time, he was fine. Herakles didn't talk much and slept all the time. He even got away with sleeping on the job. Alfred didn't talk to him much at all. He was more just amazed that one person could sleep that much.

 

He hadn't seen much of Arthur at all since that day. To be fair, Richard had kept him mostly down in his workplace, helping him.  
He was a little too bossy for Alfred to really like him. It was annoying. Richard was just kind of mean in Alfred's opinion. He tried to be nice anyway, considering he didn't know what served as punishment on a pirate ship and didn't want to find out.

Even when he was somewhere else on the ship, the Captain had been elusive.  
It was Allistor he saw more of, to be honest. In reality, it was Sheamus who ordered him around. Perhaps that was for the best, Alfred didn't like seeing Captain Jerkland. He wanted to get used to his new life, and not worry about what exactly was going on when he saw the captain at all.

Sheamus gave respect to anyone who could beat him at poker. In Alfred's case, he liked card games. It was one of the main sources of entertainment back on the naval ship. He loved playing cards. Gambling was a little bit of foreign territory for him, but he never objected. Other games like Canasta were a bit too complicated for him.

 

Most of the crew still whispered behind his back. Most of them teased him and mocked him. It was similar to his old relationship with his fellow soldiers anyways. Alfred was used to this kind of treatment.

Richard had taught him how to cut and carve wood, and he was already able to use most of the tools, thanks to living life in the colonies where one of the basic necessities to live was being able to work with wood. Richard wasn't kind, he was more of the mutual need kind of person. He simply tolerated people.

"Anyways, I want you to mend the remaining crates up on deck. Smith and his lot should have put them up on the raised deck up by the second mast. We need them usable before we make port tomorrow." The ship was making port in a small town in France. Alfred could not pronounce the name at all.

He had been right. There were another port days away. Whether he actually could've made it to it a week ago on a tiny rowboat, he had no idea. That plan was rather idiotic, now that he thought about it. Minus the fact, he couldn't speak French.

 

"Yeah, alright then." Carpentry was starting to be a bit better than what he originally had in mind. What he originally had in mind was nothing but cleaning. To be fair, Alfred still did a lot of cleaning for Richard. "Uh, what if they're not there?"

"Tell Sean to give Smith and his lot a real kicking. Honestly, if anyone's going to have their pay cut in half next, it's them. And that's the least of what they deserve." Richard grumbles. Alfred didn't know whether or not that's funny. Was that funny? Who was that again?

Whatever. "Do you want me to come back down afterward?" He asked, always keen to make sure he followed everyone's orders and didn't end up in the brig again. Or faced with Kirkland. Both were really bad things. 

"Nah. It's almost nightfall. You can go down to supper after this." Alfred merely nodded and took the tools from Richard's grasp. This work sort of reminded him of when he was little and his father would have him help him repair the house and take him and Matthew with him to the neighbor's houses for barn-raising parties.

 

Matthew......

 

He inwardly winced and walked faster. He wasn't supposed to let himself think of Matthew anymore. Or his parents. Or how they would inevitably hate him for becoming part of a crew commanded by the most wanted man to sail the seven seas.

He liked to think Matthew wouldn't hate him for this. After all, he and his brother used to be inseparable. It was him who pushed Alfred to join the Navy, even if it meant he had to leave him. It was him who was always his friend when no one else was willing. Even when Alfred started to show a liking to both genders, Matthew simply gave his older brother a hug and kept his mouth shut around their parents.

 

Alfred would get used to this new life. As if he had a choice really. After all, he really should just be happy he was still alive. None of the crew really paid much attention to him anymore, once it was clear Kirkland had somehow let him off the hook. Some were friendly and invited him to a game of dice, most others mocked him. He would just have to get used to it.

When he walked out onto the deck, he could've sworn he felt eyes on him. It felt a lot more present than usual.....

 

____________________________

 

The tiny coastal French town was even smaller from on top of a ship. Colors of dark red and brown and grey reflected back, the bright sun increasing their glare upon one's vision. Noises could be heard from both the decks of the port and the bustling town, both alive with thousands of people. It was more people than Alfred had seen in one place in months. Alfred longed to be on land again. As much as he spent his time on the seas, nothing could beat the freedom he felt of running around on the grass.

"I wourd rove to buy some more tea reaves whire we are out," Kiku said as they watched a team of men lower a plank down to the dock. Kiku had asked if Alfred would like to accompany him into town, and Alfred had eagerly agreed. He rather liked having friends for once. He tended to act friendly to those all around him, but few stuck around for long. Kiku seemed to show certain patience with his loud and sometimes childish behavior.

"What exactly is so great about tea?" Alfred asks, in confusion. He had tried Kiku's preferred tea choice just yesterday. He didn't like it, it tasted literally like leaf water. And there was no sugar to make it better.

 

"I rather like it. Also, it is healthy, and it is recommended when we are under rations." Kiku politely explains, even politely they've had this conversation before. "It is what I prefer. Besides, tea is popular in the west, is it not?"

"That's actually Britain, okay? They're the ones who get obsessed with their tea parties and all that." Alfred said, crossing his arms. It wasn't popular where he came from. Or at least, he didn't like it. He didn't know. He wasn't really the brightest person, such things slipped his mind all the time.

"Are you not from the British settlements?" Kiku asked, smiling as they walked. Alfred liked it when Kiku smiled. It was gentle and you could tell he was somewhat happy, even though he looked so emotionless.

 

They were walking to get off the ship now. Alfred smiled and opened his mouth, ready to tell Kiku off, but then there was a hand on his shoulder.

"Not you."

 

It was Arthur

 

Alfred flinched and wheeled around. Kirkland was less than feet away from him. His gloved hand was on his shoulder, several gold rings gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. His emerald eyes were just as green and intimidating and absolutely beautiful as he remembered them. Oh god. Did he hear that tea party comment?

"Is there a probrem, Kirkland-sama?" Kiku asked nervously, apparently equally set off by the presence of the Captain.

 

"Not at all," Arthur said calmly. A ghost of a smirk was hanging on his lips. "I would just prefer to see Jones in private for a little while."

"What?" Alfred said stupidly. He bit his lip and cursed himself. It seemed the other man still had the power to turn Alfred into an absolute mess if need be. Damm.

"You heard me. Kiku, you may leave without him. I believe Alfred won't be joining you today." Arthur said coolly. He released Alfred's shoulder, causing Alfred to have a similar reaction to that of an anvil falling off his shoulder.

"Umm, yes sir," Alfred muttered, very reluctantly leaving Kiku behind as Arthur led him away. What could he possibly want now? And what did he meant by "won't be joining you today?" Was he not allowed to leave the ship yet?

 

Arthur stopped him at the other end of the ship, just before the steps that led up to the raised deck and Captain's cabin. "Now then." Arthur began smoothly. He turned to face Alfred, his green eyes almost boring holes into Alfred. The American swallowed gently. "It is clear I asked to see you because I wish for you not to go into town like that."

"W-why not?" Alfred said nervously, not liking the way his stomach was twisting knots at the feeling of Arthur's eyes on him. Did he get in trouble again? Why?? He hadn't done anything!

"Because. I want you to accompany me on my errands in this port instead." Arthur answered simply. Alfred froze. Did he hear that right?

"You… want me to go with you?" Alfred said slowly, utterly confused to hell and back. What? That wasn't what he had been thinking at all. Why in the hell would Kirkland want him to walk with him? It made no sense. There was also the fact that the butterflies in his stomach seemed to take his news very jovially. He didn't acknowledge that.

"You seem to have a habit of making me repeat myself frequently," Arthur said irritably. His expression was almost unreadable if it weren't for the curl of his lips. "Yes, I would like for you to be with me today Jones. If you dare to try and sneak away from me, you'll find yourself spending the next two weeks in the brig. Do I make myself clear?"

Alfred nodded. "Yes, sir." He wondered for a moment about whether or not spending weeks in a dingy cell was any better than being around Arthur. He begrudgingly decided upon the latter.

"Good. Then you shall wait for me here. I will only be a moment." Kirkland said commandingly. "Do not go anywhere." Alfred nodded, and Arthur was gone, heading back to his cabin. He gulped. Oh, God.

 

Why does this always happen to him?

 

_______________________

 

 

By the time they reached the heart of the small French town, Alfred's ears were burning. Arthur's presence on him burned within his mind, causing his thoughts to go into disarray. Kirkland made no attempt at all to talk to him at all, leaving Alfred's thoughts to mingle in a mix of confusion and desperate need to ignore his arousal.

 

People talking in rapid and jovial French surrounded him, and Alfred had no idea what anyone was talking about. He had been to foreign towns before but was more or so strictly ordered to stay on the ship. Usually, the navy ship he was on only sailed on territorial waters. Arthur seemed to know where he was going, pushing through the crowd with no regard for Alfred, who was silently following him for God knows why. His bright red coat reflected in the sunlight, making it even brighter and prettier than before.

His nose caught the scent of baking pastries and his mouth watered. He noticed immediately, seeing as the only smells he could distinguish was the smoke and wood of the town. It didn't help that Arthur was right next to him in all of his glory, being the sexiest thing his eyes ever had the pleasure of seeing. The Captain had his own distinct scent of gunfire and tea leaves, along with a hint of roses.

 

A few yards away was a cake shop. A window was open, where a shopkeeper advertised the sweets. Alfred's stomach was growling at him, demanding that he get ahold of some of these pastries. His mind began to mourn the fact he had no money on him and even if he did, it definitely wasn't French currency.

"Eyeing those pastries lad?" Kirkland spoke up. Alfred nearly jumped, he certainly hadn't been expecting for Arthur to ask him such a thing. He hadn't even noticed he had stopped walking earlier. His mind burned with the way his rich British accent ran across his words like silk.

 

No! Stop thinking about that!

 

"Y-Yeah?" Alfred answered anxiously. Kirkland had stopped walking and was now eyeing Alfred in interest. God, he loved the way Arthur's eyes looked like when they were on him. Wait what?

Kirkland muttered something under his breath and then changed direction, heading straight for the pastry shop. Poor and confusingly flustered Alfred had no choice but to follow. What was he doing? Surely he wasn't.....

 

"Combien pour une des pâtisseries?" Kirkland said in perfect French. Alfred's eyes widened. Arthur could speak French? What the!? Was that perfect French?!

The shopkeeper was a small and rather plump young woman. Her hair was jet black and it suited her well with the icy blue eyes.  
"Vous avez de la chance! On est en plein milieu d'une vente. Nos moins chers sont à trois francs." The lady responded. She smiled brightly at Arthur, almost flirtingly. Wait, was she flirting with him? He wrinkled his nose at the thought. 

 

"J'en veux un, merci," Arthur said, nodding. The lady nodded almost too sweetly and disappeared into the shop

 

"Wait, what are you doing?" Alfred blurted out, his cheeks reddening as he saw Arthur dig into his coat pockets for something. He suddenly wished he could understand French, just to make this immensely awkward occurrence less awkward.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm buying a pastry" Kirkland said irritably, a scowl being sent Alfred's way.

Alfred's stomach screamed at him. He  
...he bought him a pastry?? What? He was fucking convinced Arthur could read minds. He had known that quickly that Alfred had been craving one? And then he bought one? Oh, why wouldn't the butterflies in his stomach shut up!?

"What? B-But I haven't got any money!" Alfred stuttered, completely at a loss for how to react to Arthur's very confusing act of kindness. After all, this was the same person who had thousands of pounds over his head. One that had killed dozens, one that had threatened Alfred with sexual assault, and all of a sudden there they were, Arthur, buying him sweets. What the hell was going on???

"I know you don't. That is why I am paying instead." Arthur said smoothly, pretending he didn't see how Alfred was barely managing to function at the moment. Arthur had a straight poker face, no emotion except a slightly annoyed scowl on his face. He was master of mystery, as always. Seeming to find what he was looking for, he placed three coins on the table.

"I... I-I... I mean, you don't have to.." Alfred said, wincing at how his pronunciation had turned into an utter mess. He couldn't help but stutter, his stomach was apparently so aroused by such an attractive and ruthless man doing something for him.

"Nonsense. If I don't you'd be distracted and then inevitably do something rather idiotic again. I don't want to have to come up with some daring excuse for why the most infamous pirate of the century is here." Arthur said. It almost sounded like a lie in Alfred's opinion; it didn't make sense, but neither party was in any mood for questioning. The lady returned, holding a small box with a pastry in it.

 

"Une pâtisserie pour un homme charmant." She said in silverly French, her tone softening on the last word. Alfred found himself not being able to care about his inability to understand French now. The smell of cinnamon and icing was too close now. He longed to devour the thing.

"Je suis flatté," Arthur said sarcastically, sounding a little amused by what the lady had said. The lady seemed to pout a little and took the money and disappeared again. Kirkland openly scoffed and gently grabbed the box and handed it to Alfred.

"I trust you to eat it carefully and not like the pig I presume you are," Arthur said simply, his eyes not meeting Alfred's for once. Alfred ignored the comment and hurriedly opened the box to find a cinnamon bun, its bottom wrapped in a thin papery covering.

"God, it smells so good." Alfred murmured, his cravings demanding that he ate the damn thing already. Forget who it just came from. He was hungry now. For a moment, it was so easy to forget the burning arousal in his chest that loved the fact Arthur just bought him a pastry. Fucking Arthur. "Thank you!"

"I don't have all day," Kirkland said, his words more irritable and cold now. He seemed determined to avoid accepting Alfred's gratitude. "Walk while you eat." Alfred nodded as he ravenously bit into the soft pastry, moaning at the deliciously warm taste of the thing. He hadn't had such a thing in so long. He was so entranced with the taste that he didn't notice how Arthur's eyes burned with something unreadable, the man's eyes unwaveringly on him as he ate.

 

There was no more conversation as they walked, only Alfred graciously snarfing down the baked good like he hadn't eaten anything in months. Rather, he hadn't had anything so sweet in so long. Such things just weren't made onboard ships. The sweetest thing in ship kitchens was usually freshly baked bread and fruits.

They kept walking. There were certain points where Arthur would stop him at a building and go inside, telling Alfred to stay put. Alfred had no choice but to do so, seeing as he wasn't going to be able to look forward to spending two weeks in a small and damp cell at the bottom of the ship. He was curious about what errands a pirate captain did. They seemed a little....average. Was he buying human body parts in there? That sounded a lot more exciting.

 

He wanted to know, and so he peeked through the windows of the shops. The second he peered into the cheap glass panes, Arthur automatically turned around and deeply glared at him. Alfred jumped and immediately backed away from the building, keeping his back to the window now. That was fucking weird. How the hell did Arthur know so quickly he had tried to look? Did he have eyes in the back of his head?

 

After Kirkland came out, one death glare was enough.

 

He didn't dare do it again.

 

He had no idea what Arthur was doing, then. It was very obvious that Kirkland wanted no questions, only for Alfred to obediently follow him and keep him company. Alfred was still very confused as to why Arthur even wanted him here in the first place. It was clear he was there for a reason very private to Kirkland and Kirkland alone. Did he do this often? The guy was a mystery.

 

After another hour or so, Arthur stopped him at the final building. It looked more like someone's house that had been turned into an area of business. It was purely wooden, and a rather menacing man stood outside the door. "I want you to wait out here. This is rather important. Do not go anywhere. I won't be gone long."

"Why?" Alfred said without thinking. His brain didn't compute that this was rather out of line, as Arthur's deepened glare told him. He had been right about the questions thing.

"That is none of your concern," Arthur said coldly. "What I do in my career is no business to you as of now. I prefer that you keep your mouth shut. Do not forget about my promise to shut you up in the brig if you run off." 

 

"Yes, Captain," Alfred said hastily, trying to ignore the burning of his cheeks. He folded his arms as Arthur turned away, disappearing past the wooden door, his blazing red coat flowing behind him.

Alfred was only curious about what kind of errands a pirate captain did when his ship made port. After all, Kirkland was the one who demanded that he be here. Alfred still couldn't figure out why. It seemed kind of pointless to him now.

 

He leaned against the building, watching the bustling crowds of the French streets. According to how others seemed to ignore this building, it was a rather shady business. It would give Arthur a reason to be there. Maybe it was some sort of black market. Despite being apart of the said pirate crew, his childish mind still liked to think half of the crew was evil. They probably were, but that didn't mean Alfred should keep thinking such things.

His thoughts never calmed down though. They still stuck on the dangerous man he was with. The American couldn't seem to be able to get Kirkland out of his head, and why? According to what he heard on the ship, it was more of a miracle that Arthur spared him.

And yet, he would still fall asleep every night with his mind on the Brit. Before this, he barely ever thought of men in such fantasies. It was more girls, though he was trying to branch out after finding he found both genders equally charming. His childhood was spent listening to his father and his Catholic teachings, so it was an old habit he was trying hard to break.

He couldn't help it. He wanted to ignore it, but that didn't change the fact that they were there. He could just imagine Arthur's soft accented voice in his ear, his own wrists pinned over his head and a hand snaking down to his.....

 

"Chérie!" And suddenly there was a man hugging him from behind, knocking the wind out of him. He squealed rather loudly and turned his head, his body suddenly surrounded by a baby blue shaded coat, lace everywhere. He felt his cheeks go red and his mind start to panic.

"Matthieu! I have been looking all over for you!" Said a heavily French-accented voice, his tone laced in deep admiration. Alfred screamed again, trying to fight the Frenchman off.

 

The Frenchman persisted, his head nuzzling into the American's neck. Alfred felt the scratchiness of facial hair on the sensitive parts of his neck, and he shivered at it. He felt another sound of fear escape his throat as he felt a hand snaking down to his ass, and all of a sudden he had enough.

"What the hell man?!" Alfred yelled, finally succeeding in freeing himself from the Frenchman's grasp. There was a gasp of surprise, and the stranger backed off

"Attendre! You're not Matthieu?" The Frenchmen said in surprise. Alfred turned around to face him. The blue he had glimpsed was laced in gold and white, a black and gold hat filled with lace and exotic feathers adorned his head, including a very large peacock feather. A large number of silver chains looped around his hat and feathers, gleaming in the sunlight.

 

He was obviously another Pirate Captain. One as equally dangerous as Kirkland

 

"What? No! What the hell are you doing!"  
Alfred yelled, his mind panicking. No. He did not hear Matthew's name. This was just another stranger who grabbed him inappropriately. Wait, was Matthew a French name? No! It's not your brother!!!

"I.....I apologize mon cher." The Frenchmen said sincerely. He gave Alfred a smile as if to say that would excuse what just happened. "You look a lot like someone very dear to me. I mistook you for him." Alfred didn't feel comfortable at all about how this man openly grabbed people like that. That was barely even the only thought in his now jumbled brain.

"I trust you're not assaulting members of my crew, Francis." A British accent barked. Arthur had returned, a deep scowl directed at the Frenchman. Alfred blushed profoundly and tightened his arms around himself, his heartbeat echoing in his ears. Why did the fucking pirate captain have such an effect on him?

 

He couldn't recall the name Francis. Unlike Kirkland's name, whose title was known in fear across the seas, Francis didn't ring a bell. Maybe if he heard his last name, he'd know. He always had trouble remembering foreign names.

"Arthur! I did not know this Chère petite beauté was yours! Does this mean I can't tempt you to the pleasures of the flesh tonight?" Francis said dramatically, an arm looping itself around Arthur's shoulder. Even with heeled boots, Francis was inches taller than Arthur. The two of them seemed to know each other very well, whether they liked it or not.

"Stuff it, frog. I'd rather not be anywhere near you and a bed anytime soon." Arthur snapped, glaring at him in deep content about the arm around his shoulder. The American stood there awkwardly, his mind yet again failing to function.

"You wound me! Though I must say, I have someone rather important I would rather spend the night with. He is much more entertaining than you are." Francis said. He seemed to hold a lot of affection for this person, who Alfred had a very bad feeling about who it could be.

"I don't need to hear about you and your stupid affairs. God bless whoever is unfortunate enough to be anywhere near you." Arthur said coldly. "Do you have the news or not? I'm already rather irritated that you decided to show up late."

"It is only by minutes. Besides, when you're on a life at sea, time is always so uncertain! Oui, I do. Antonio is not being very patient with you anymore mon ami." Francis said, his tone getting serious on the last comment. Alfred wondered for a moment how much confusion he could take before his brain exploded. Probably not much more. Who was Antonio? Did he hear that name before?

 

Arthur's face darkened at the name. " Alfred, I want you to go back to the ship. If I find you did not do as you're told, I will not forget my previous statement about your arse being thrown into the brig." Arthur commanded. Alfred almost flinched at the suddenly intensified rudeness. It wasn't like Alfred could truly go anywhere. What was Arthur so afraid of?

"I-I..." Wait, no. He shouldn't be Questioning him, right? "Yes, sir," Alfred said, all too glad to be finally relieved of both Arthur and Francis. Anything so he could think about what the hell just happened in peace. He still had to wonder whether or not the brig was any worse than Arthur. It really was. At least the brig didn't make him feel like his heart was on fire.

 

He heard Francis make another comment about him as he hurried away. Whatever it was, he didn't know, and one part of him never wanted to find out.

 

 

Chapter 3 End

 

 

__________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember why I referenced Sherlock in here?? I love Sherlock too much, I think I'm drowning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred ends up stuck with a very drunk Arthur. His luck continues to be really unfair to him in his opinion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehaa this was fun to write.

__________________________________________

 

 

 

It took him a little under an hour to find his way back to the ship. He was a little lost for a while, being in a foreign country surrounded by people who didn't speak English. By the time he did, it was evening. Richard was nowhere to be found. He looked everywhere naturally, not wanting to get in trouble. 

He had no idea what he was supposed to do with himself for a moment. He was hungry. Despite the delicious cinnamon bun he had earlier today his stomach was yet again growling at him and demanding substance. Thinking about that only made him think about Arthur for some reason, and that only made his thoughts swirl.

No. Not right now. Alfred was going to go get food now. Maybe Yao will be down there and he could get some extra beef.

His boots clacked silently as he walked down the dock. It was quiet. The only men on the deck where two men climbing up in the mast, tending to the sails. They shouted orders at each other and one would laugh at the other when they slipped up. Alfred couldn't imagine having to work so high up, his life in so much danger, every day.

 

Standing next to the door to the floors below was Allistor, his flaming red hair gleaming in the sunset. He seemed to be relaxing, his back leaning against the wood and a bottle in his hand. His eyes met Alfred immediately. His eyes resembled green fields and trees rather than jewels.

"Hey, lad. Wouldn't go in the mess hall right now if I were you." Allistor said, chuckling. Something seemed moderately funny to him. He took another swig of the bottle and grunted in the distaste of alcohol.

"Why?" Alfred asked, frowning at his already extended hand, reaching for the brass door handle.

"If you wanna see what a gangbang is like firs' hand then by all means, be my guest," Allistor said humorlessly. He smirked at the look of utter horror on Alfred's face. The poor American could feel his breakfast coming back up his throat.

They were doing what?? Oh God, he hated pirates. "That's disgusting!" He blurted out, but it only made Allistor laugh harder as he pushed himself off the wall.

"Oh, but not all of us think so. There's some o' them men who do this every time we make port. They usually do this in someone's room, but I think they've attracted a bigger crowd tonight." Allistor said. Alfred had to stop himself from subconsciously lifting a hand to his mouth to stop oncoming vomit. Just picturing it made his insides curl. It was worse once Alfred remembered he had been threatened with the very same thing a week ago. That could've been him down there screaming for mercy in the midst of a humiliating and slow death.

"Blimey, yer reaction makes me wager ya might' be a virgin." Allistor jokes. Alfred squeaked at the word and wondered whether or not he should retreat to his room. Then again, Allistor didn't tell him where in the ship that was taking place.

"Shut up!" Alfred yelled, turning bright pink. It was ultimately embarrassing how close to the truth it was. It was the truth. He was a virgin. He'd only ever kissed girls and stuff. That was it. His sexual activities were only just a big list of snogging, but he didn't want Allistor to know that! Or worse. Arthur.

"Okay! Okay! I understand yer need for space." Allistor said, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. He only chuckled in good humor and patted Alfred on the pack. "Fine. What say you and I split another bottle o' whiskey? It's brand new, just bought up in the town."

Alfred swallowed. He didn't trust Allistor. Not at all. He was the first mate, right in the league with Kirkland. He wouldn't hesitate to....well, he supposed he had been friendly before. He wasn't the one who put him in this mess anyway. Slowly, Alfred nodded.

"Aye, that's the spirit," Allistor said. He smiled and gave Alfred a reassuring pat. "I promise I won't get ya drunk. I'll be right back. Just a mo'."

 

______________________________

 

It turns out, Alfred was not too fond of whiskey either. The drink left a weird taste in his mouth. It wasn't too terrible, but he supposed alcohol's first intended purpose wasn't always to taste good.

"How often do they do this?" Alfred asked in distaste, his stomach not liking the increase of alcohol or the thoughts about.....that.

"Often. Sometimes Kirkland will order them not to when he invites someone else on the ship. Captains and all that." Allistor answered. He didn't mind the bitter taste of alcohol at all as he took a huge swig and handed it back to Alfred. It was a medium-sized bottle made of some sort of brown glass, and it had French writing on it, probably listing things about a price.

"What kind of Captains?" Alfred asked, thinking of the Francis guy he had met earlier. Would Allistor actually tell him that if Arthur refused to?

"Other captains of pirate crews," Allistor said merrily. They watched the sea from where they sat near the railing of the deck. The smell of sea salt and wood was pungent in the air, and the water crashed on the stationary vessel. "We sometimes trade and negotiate with other crews ta help build a better profit. I heard word Bonnefoy is in town, so there is him."

"Bonnefoy?" Alfred asked, frowning in confusion. He had heard that before. His Navy higher-ups, or well, his old higher-ups discussed him too when sailing near Europe. His bounty was significantly less than Kirkland's though.

"Francis Bonnefoy." Allistor corrected. He scrunched his face a little. "Don't like him that much. He regards sex as an art form. Weird bloke." The bottle was empty. Allistor grunted and chucked it at the open ocean. It soon fell with a small splash and disappeared into the waters.

Alfred felt hungry now. He didn't get to drink much of the whiskey, seeing as he immediately didn't like it, but he still hadn't had dinner yet either. So he was wrong then. He had heard of Francis at some point. He shivered when he remembered the Frenchman trying to grab him pervertedly. And then he thought of Matthew. Well, he'd really rather not right now actually. Shit.

"Tell me about more." Alfred blurted, plopping down a barrel. Ow. That was too hard. Alfred felt his insides crawling again.

"Hm. Kirkland ain't a very friendly fellow. He doesn't have many allies. Actually, it's more like Franny insists upon being Kirkland's ally." Allistor thought for a moment. The white shirt he wore billowed in the wind with his hair. "There was Beilschmidt."

He knew that one. "You mean that German guy?" Alfred said, trying to remember who exactly that was. There was something that happened to him.

"Nah. He's Prussian." Allistor said. He furrowed his brow as if he were trying to remember something. "His ship got burned down by Europeans and then he disappeared. Some say he's either still in Germanic land or he's hiding on someone else's ship. Shame, really. He's been one of the only people to have more money over his head than Kirkland."

"I heard about that," Alfred said absentmindedly. He had forgotten now that he was talking to Arthur's first mate and felt more like he was talking to a friend. A friend that just so happened to be a pirate who had killed dozens in that last for years, but still. Allistor teased him from time to time, but it was all in friendly humorous reasons. It would be a stretch to say he cared about him, but it wouldn't be to say that he wouldn't hurt him either.

"I had the pleasure of meetin' him. He and Kirkland go way back. I think they got along better than Franny does." Allistor chuckled, and folded his arms, leaning against the railing. He seemed to care little about the moderate possibility of him falling overboard. "And then there's Carriedo."

"Who?" Alfred blurted out. Truth be told, that one was very familiar. His old general had started to talk about him more and more recently.

"Antonio Carriedo. Bloody bastard. He and Arthur are basically what you call rivals amongs' the sea." Allistor said. He had distaste on his face as he spoke of him. "You can't tell me ya haven't heard of him?"

Alfred thought for a moment. "Uh, yeah. There was a navy mate who disappeared and people say he became part of his crew. I think his name was Carlos or something. He has a lot of money on his head right?"

"Yeah, a whole lot. Only comes in second, right short of Kirkland" Allistor said, laughing a little at this. "He and Kirkland had a row recently. We're in bad waters with him."

"Really?" Alfred said. Pirate rivalries sounded interesting. Stories about such things were traded amongst his old Navel peers. Great pirate captains rising in fame only to fall in a heap of flames and sea at the hands of someone who wanted his fortune and fame. Tales of ghost captains haunting the seas and stealing the souls of the living sailors. He didn't like those. He hated ghost stories.

"Right. See, we were plannin' a raid in a town with a lot o' riches. A huge port town in Spain had just brought back a shipment from Africa and it had lots of money in gemstones and gold on it. Kirkland made a deal with Carriedo to help it make easier to steal it. The only problem was, we made off with all of it. Carriedo now thinks we owe him."

"How much?"

"Oh, about sixty thousand."

Alfred widened his eyes. That was more than his family had ever owned in generations. "Wow. No wonder he's mad."

"More than mad from what I've heard," Allistor commented. He gave a quiet smile at the now fading sunset and pushed himself off the railing. "It's time I oughta tell the men down there to let the poor lass go. I'm sure some of us actually want some sleep."

 

Alfred simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak with the mention of sex being brought up again. For a while, Alfred thought he would end up vomiting over the railing next to him. Anything was pretty much too much of a foreign concept for his virgin mind.

He settled for just watching the waves then. Once his stomach settled down, it began to resume complaining about the lack of food. He wondered how long he should wait until he could deem it safe to go down to the mess hall for supper. Wouldn't they have to clean up first? Oh dear God, now he was thinking about all of the fluids everywhere. Oh shit. Shit.

 

"Oi! You!" Came a very slurred voice.

 

Alfred turned around in confusion. The second he did, the owner of the voice and a companion shoved a body towards him. Alfred staggered and struggled to regain his balance as a heavyweight pressed on him. He blinked rapidly at the sudden smell of alcohol.

His mind imploded as he looked down to see Arthur in his arms, very clearly drunk. Really drunk.

The two pirates lapsed into drunken laughter. "Look at the poor boy! Guess who's going to take his drunk captain to bed?!" They erupted into drunken laughter as they jeered at Alfred.

"What!? No! I'm not- Wha- What the fuck??" Alfred yelled, struggling to keep the drunk captain in his arms. Arthur moaned incoherent words. His hat hung lopsided on his head, and all of his earrings were missing. His usually bright glittering green orbs had a hazy look to them. He was very warm and it made Alfred somewhat happy to have the British Captain in his arms, even if he was drunk. Wait no! Bad idea! Bad idea!

"Your old Captain is drunk. We ain't cleaning up his mess. Have fun slutty boy." The other Pirate shouted. Alfred's face morphed into more panic and fear as the two men were walking away. No! There was no way he could take a drunk Arthur to his room! It was Arthur!!!

"Wait, what?!" Alfred shouted, blushing at the very notion of Arthur being so close to him. There was no way he could survive taking the Captain to his cabin! That was insane! What kind of sick game were these two random guys playing at?! This was too cruel!! Too cruel!!

They only laughed harder before the door slammed shut behind them. He heard their laughter die down as they descended further into the vessel. It grew quiet, minus the surroundings and the faint chuckling of the sails men from above.

Alfred's mind scrambled for something that still made sense as he bit his lip and stared down at Arthur. The captain didn't seem to even care where he was, he only stayed where he was in Alfred's arms, mumbling incoherent words about rum and utter nonsense.

"God... How much did you drink?" Alfred asked, wrinkling his nose at the strong smell of alcohol. Wasn't there a limit to how much you could drink before one would just pass out? Or die even? Could you actually die from alcohol? Alfred was completely clueless in this situation.

 

"S'fine. Drank much less than the' dammed frog." Arthur frowned at Alfred. "When did you get here?" Alfred's face morphed into pure confusion amongst the panic as he stared at Arthur. That had not helped him at all. "Alfie, where's Franny?"

Alfie? Franny? Oh, wait. That Francis guy. "He's not here. Arthur, do you remember how much you drank?" He tried again, hoping Arthur would recognize the question and give some sort of answer. His hope was only in vain though. 

"I'm fine. I've drunk a lot worse." He smiled faintly into Alfred's chest. "You smell like cinnamon." Alfred wanted to hope Arthur's intense drunkenness had caused that comment, just for the sake of his sanity.

He should just get this over with. It was only a short walk to the cabin. No one would see him. He could just dump Arthur off and then escape. Maybe once the Brit was sober he wouldn't remember this. Yes. He would be fine.

With new encouragement, he gathered Arthur up in his arms and swung his other arm around his shoulders. "I-I'm taking you to your room now sir. You need to sleep this off."

Arthur didn't seem to like that. "What? No! Why are you here?" He slurred drunkenly. However, he was not equipped enough to fight Alfred as the American tried his best to lead him in the direction of the Captain's quarters.

"Your crew is full of jerks," Alfred answered bluntly. They were at the stairs now. Shit. He had to hope Arthur didn't weigh much. Not to mention that coat that probably hid what only God knew. And the weapons strapped to his belt. "Can you walk at all?"

"Can't you?" Arthur replied in such damaged pronunciation Alfred could barely separate words from broken gibberish. Dear God, was Arthur always like this when drunk?

"Never mind. I'm taking you up the stairs now." Alfred said. His mind buzzed with stupid excitement and utter chaos as he helped his drunk captain up the stairs. The butterflies were having some stupid party in his stomach now, flying around and not giving a shit about the poor American and his thoughts.

 

Finally, at the Captain's door, he shifted all of Arthur's weight on one shoulder in order to reach the handle. Thank God for his original peasantry upbringing and the labor that helped him build up strength. He would always win arm wrestles and things like that because of it back in the Navy.

"Nice arms," Arthur commented randomly, his face hanging lopsidedly into Alfred's chest. Alfred ignored that. He had to remember Arthur was drunk and probably meant nothing of what he said. Probably.

 

He quickly opened the door to find himself once again in Arthur's cabin. It looked the same as ever, lanterns and candles burning bright to give the room light. The heavy smell of roses still perfumed the room for some reason. Arthur continued to mumble unintelligible words as Alfred quickly looked around.

If memory served him correctly, there was another door that led to the sleeping quarters of the cabin. He grunted under Arthur's weight and walked slowly over to the door, tucked behind bookcases. He was careful not to knock anything over, especially the expensive-looking trinkets and artifacts sitting on the surfaces he passed.

It turns out he was right. A huge King-sized four-poster bed sat in the middle room, comfortable blankets and sheets and pillows folded neatly. Another lantern was the only light source in the room. A large dresser and wardrobe sat in the other corner, and a table and shelves sat filled with personal belongings. To Alfred's surprise, there was a large pot of English roses sitting on the windowsill to his right. So that was where the rose smell was coming from? A pirate captain owned roses? Super weird.

"Okay sir, I'm putting you down now." Alfred quickly muttered. He gently lowered his drunken captain on the bed. Arthur paid no heed that he heard Alfred and simply let the other drop him face-first into the bed. He moaned drunkenly and cuddled up there, seeming to finally stop with the gibberish mumblings. He was actually.....kind of cute like this.

 

"Mmmm. Hey Alfie?" Arthur slurred, closing his eyes as he lay there in the blankets, seemingly oblivious to how intensely awkward this was for Alfred.

"Y-yeah?" Alfred answered, trying to busy himself by looking around the room. It was almost as interesting as the main room. A huge portrait hung in front of the dresser, along with other paintings Arthur probably stole.

 

"Would you let me fuck you?"

 

Alfred yelped and nearly tripped over his feet, his left hand shooting out to grip the dresser. He didn't realize it was his injured arm, the burn still very painful, only that his stomach was screaming and his mind had just imploded. What the fuck??

"W-what!! Why- why would you ask that?!" Alfred yelled, his butterflies seeming to be as mindless as Arthur right now. Did Arthur seriously just ask him that? No. No, the Brit was drunk! Dear Jesus, he shouldn't let him affect him! This was insane! Why did it make Alfred's stomach flutter and clench at the same time?

"Because. Franny said I was lonely and I told him to bug off and he introduced me to his new friend. They snogged in front of me. Bloody twats." Whatever Arthur said made no sense. Alfred stared at the Brit, at a total loss for what to do. Why was luck such a jerk to him? Fucking shit.

"T-that..." No. He wanted to avoid answering that question at all costs. "Arthur you need to sleep. I'm going to let you get some sleep. You really need it, sir." Yeah. That sounded good enough. It was a well put together excuse. He really needed to get out of here. He started to back away towards the still-open door.

 

"W-wait... Don't leave..." Arthur murmured. His arm darted out and suddenly his eyes were open. Alfred blushed, his hand already reaching for the doorknob. Oh, come on! How ridiculous could this man be?!

"Sir, you need to sleep," Alfred said, worrying that Arthur was going to say something else stupid and perverted and mess up Alfred's day even more.

"I can't....sleep without you..." Arthur whined. His other arm had somehow found a pillow and started hugging it. Why did this fearsome pirate captain look so cute while drunk? Did he make it a habit to defy all logic that Alfred lived by?

Alfred hesitated. "C-cant you? I really need to go down and eat....." He tried, but it was in vain. Arthur only persisted.

"Please.....?" He asked, the end of his question slurring into more drunken nonsense.

Alfred hesitated. No, he really shouldn't. It was from Arthur. Then again, he just looked too cute like this and a part of Alfred wanted so badly to stay with Arthur for as long as he liked. Oh, he really, really shouldn't. This was wrong. Right? Alfred sucked in a breath and looked at Arthur, who was clawing at a blanket. Would he really?

"Fine....." Alfred muttered. He spied a chair sitting next to the wardrobe and sat down, prepared to....watch Arthur sleep he supposed. His mind buzzed with sheer confusion and just shock at what was happening and oh, something that he hoped wasn't affection...

 

Arthur mumbled something that sounded like a thank you and seemed to snuggle up into the covers, probably to drift off into sleep. Alfred watched, looking around in the room. His eyes drifted back to the portrait.

It was a family portrait. Sitting in a large fancy looking chair was a man in an equally fancy suit and sported red hair and green eyes. A woman stood beside him, long pretty blonde hair flowing behind her. She held a baby in her arms, who matched his mother's blond hair. There were five other children, one girl, and four boys. The girl and another boy seemed to be the eldest, they sat up straight next to their mother, both sporting the same emerald eyes and flaming red hair as their father. There was only one other kid with blond hair. Near the bottom was a small kid about the age of thirteen when the portrait was painted. He looked so familiar.

 

Arthur made some sort of sloppy noise, snapping Alfred back to attention. He wasn't asleep, and would no doubt notice it if Alfred tried to leave. As to why Arthur was so insistent about him trying to leave, he had no idea. It looked like he was going to be here for a little while.

 

___________________

 

"Jones!"

 

Alfred jumped awake, the first thing registering was the stiffness. His bones ached and were in weird positions. Alfred blinked, trying to regain awareness about what the fuck was happening. It was morning, sunlight streaming in from the window, highlighting the person in front of him.

 

"You better have a bloody good excuse for what you're doing in my room." A voice said angrily. Alfred looked up to find he was inches away from Arthur, a very stone-cold sober and obviously angry Arthur. Oh shit.

 

"U-uh...ummm." Alfred stuttered, now wide awake. Holy shit, Arthur was practically livid, both his arms holding onto the arms of the chair Alfred had fallen asleep and completely trapping him. He had taken off his coat, said clothing article laying neatly on the bed, his sword and pistols and other things that belonged in the coat laying next to it. There was still a dagger tied to his belt though.

"Answer me. I'm not afraid to shut you back in the brig if you don't," Arthur demanded. His emerald green eyes blazed with fury, and something unreadable. It was almost as if Arthur only wanted him to feel his rage, and the other emotions were completely private.

"I-I...you asked me to stay with you last night..." Alfred said quickly, hesitant of what he was saying. Alfred thought groggily, trying to force his mind to be awake so he wouldn't make some other stupid mistake to further anger the Captain. He should be telling the truth right? Could Arthur figure out he was lying? After all, Arthur didn't seem to remember a thing from last night.

"I did what?" Arthur repeated flatly, his brow furrowing. He was having a hard time believing this. His grip on the chair was harder, making it seem as if the wood would snap in two from the force.

"Y-You were drunk and two men forced me to take you to your room. You asked me to stay here until you fell asleep. Sir." He added hastily, figuring Arthur would probably get ticked off more by the notion.

The Captain stared for a moment, his mind buzzing with things Alfred would never know or would ever have a shot at guessing. He may have been cute last night, or whatever, but the Arthur he was faced with now radiated power and danger. It made Alfred's heart swell uncontrollably.

It did occur to Alfred that his life was now once again probably on the line. Arthur looked ready to yell, to hit or do something violent, to do something to prove just how fearsome he was and just why half of the planet knew his name. Alfred held his breath and kept his eyes up at Arthur, ready for the worst. But to his surprise, Arthur exhaled and closed his eyes calmly.

 

"Get out," Arthur said quietly.

 

"Huh?" Alfred asked, dumbfounded.

 

"I said. Get. Out." Arthur repeated, opening his eyes to give Alfred one of his infamous death glares. He let go of the chair arms and turned his back on Alfred, the air around him telling the other to either get out or be faced with horrible consequences.

 

"Y-yes sir," Alfred said hastily. He gave Arthur one last look and quickly got up, reaching for the door. Sweet Jesus, he really needed food now.

 

 

___________________

 

 

He stood there, staring off into space. The room was quiet, except for perhaps his breathing and the gentle roll of waves he had fallen in love with over the years.

Arthur could still feel his heart thumping hard. It was a whole wave of feelings he hadn't felt in years. Feelings that he hadn't thought he was still capable of feeling in years. He had lost so much.....

What was wrong with him? It was he, the most feared man amongst the world, the killer of more than he had cared to count at this point, the fear of empires. And here he was, becoming utterly defenseless for a boy he had met a week ago. It was utterly ridiculous, utterly mental, and yet it was happening. Just him being there made his mind go crazy.

He had hoped he was wrong. He had hoped that maybe it was just the fact that the lad was so different from others he had met, that he'd get over it and kill him later. All he needed was time. But he had been right, like always. Much to his dismay.

When he had woken up to find Alfred in his room, he felt the feelings come faster and worse than usual. He could remember nothing of what happened the night before, only that he had been drunk. He truly couldn't remember why Alfred was there. He had looked so adorable asleep like that, his face like that of an angel. He almost couldn't stop himself from taking the boy right then and there. It made him realize how badly he wanted him.

He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to fall in love again. He couldn't. It was the first time in years that really truly terrified him. How his heart would flutter when he saw Alfred smile, saw him laugh, saw his eyes meet his, his even being in close proximity to him sending shivers down his spine. He suddenly longed to make him happy, to make him smile. He wanted to be the one to make him laugh.

Oh, he was so tempted to just get the boy in his bed already and get it over with. But he knew that wouldn't work. He knew he'd still lust after the boy in the morning. And every day after that. He couldn't lie to himself. Doing such a thing would only make things worse.

His head rang with pain. He had a major headache, and it didn't take some consulting detective to tell him he had a hangover. A bloody big one. Most of last night was a blur. He remembered talking to Francis in a pub, about Antonio. Bloody Spaniard thinking Arthur owed him so much. He remembered Francis introducing him to his new companion, whom he had picked up in the colonies. He looked a lot like Alfred. It was unnerving.

Everything made him think of Alfred, didn't it? Bollocks. He felt like he was a teenager again, falling in love for the first time. He scrunched his nose at the thought. He didn't like thinking that he and Francis used to be anything more than fuck buddies. Nothing more. It didn't matter. They had moved on. Clearly.

 

He needed a cup of tea. Right now. His headache would only become worse. He didn't want to think about the truth right now.

 

 

The truth was that he had fallen in love with Alfred.

 

 

 

Chapter 4 End

 

 

___________


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred gets to bond a little with his crew members

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before this chapter begins (or something) I would like to take a moment to thank all you people for all the wonderful feedback I've been receiving for this fic! I was not excepting this to get so much love! It's surreal! Thank you all so much!
> 
> Mei - Taiwan
> 
> Yong Soo - South Korea
> 
> Liam - Hong Kong

. 

 

________________  
__________________________

 

 

"Are you sure this is alright?" Alfred asked

 

"Hai. A smarr break wirr not do any harm." Kiku answered, carefully and gently looking around in the cupboards. They were in the kitchen, Kiku having invited him in after lunch. Somehow, the Japanse man had noticed how distracted Alfred had been acting for the past few days.

 

The truth was that he had been. His could he not? He had been trying to just let himself focus on his daily chores because Richard was already starting to get a little annoyed and he had already been assigned the punishment of nightly watch duty twice and already hated it. Having no sleep during a night utterly sucked for him.

 

For some reason, his thoughts wandered often to Arthur more than they should. Alfred didn't know whether to be terrified or utterly smitten.

 

"It is fine. Would you mind if I made you a cup of tea?" Kiku asked. Alfred hesitated. Normally, he didn't like tea. Not unless it had a bunch of sugar in it. He preferred other beverages over it. He was normally bit picky when it came what he drank. However, just the word tea made him think about Arthur again and now he wanted to slap himself.

"Yeah. Whatever." Alfred blurted out. He winced at the outtake. To think one night with Kirkland would leave him like this days after the fact. So pathetic. He felt like one of the teenage girls swooning over visiting ship captains in his hometown. The difference was he was stuck with his.

"You seem quite distracted. Do you wish to talk about it? You will feel better." Kiku offered. There it was. How did he know so quickly? And more importantly, did he really want to talk about.....that with Kiku? He liked him and certainly wanted to call him a friend, but he only had two weeks of trust to go on. He suddenly wished he had Matthew to talk to. It was still so hard to try to not miss him all the time.

"Umm.....it's complicated," Alfred said quietly. That felt like an understatement. It was more like he was confused about why he was stuck with a captain that looked like Mr sex on legs. And why he felt so smitten by him when said captain had threatened him with death and torture more than once in less than a month.

"Hai, but it helps when you talk to someone. Perhaps I could help you." Kiku said politely. There were sounds of a kettle being put in the heat, and then a pause. "Do you want me to put sugar or milk in yours?"

"Three spoonfuls or something please," Alfred said absentmindedly. Kiku's tendencies to say a word in his home language really threw him off. Not to mention how kind Kiku was being. He was patient with him. "Thanks, but I don't....really wanna talk about it."

"I apologize, I will not intrude." Kiku said, once again causing Alfred to glance in confusion. Why did he always apologize for everything? There was a sound of a kettle heating up. There was silence. Alfred nervously fiddled with his hands. It wasn't like he didn't want to trust Kiku, it was just what he was being asked to talk about. Even being vague about it would be really uncomfortable for him.

 

"Do ya know which port we're gonna stop at next then?" Alfred asked, trying to break the silence. To be fair, he did want to know. People would compare him to a bird, acting quite restless when bound to one place. In a way, Alfred would admit they were right. Life at sea was fun, and Alfred was not going to complain (even now) but he would begin to get bored and look forward to the next time his feet could touch land.

"I believe Allistor told us it would be in Geúthary," Kiku answered.

"Where's that?" Alfred asked, frowning. 

"A small coastal town in France.  It is next to the border with Spain." Kiku said knowledgeably. "We should be there in another day or two."

That seems quite early. "Wasn't one stop in France enough?" He said curiously. It wasn't like there were shortages of anything, so business was obviously an answer. Or.....are they planning a raid? Alfred shifted nervously at the thought.

"The Captain said he had to meet someone there. " Kiku said simply. "It was not my place to pry." A cup of warm tea with a herbal smell to it was pushed under Alfred's nose. 

 

"Thanks," Alfred said politely. He took the handle and examined it. He couldn't remember the last time he had tea. It had been offered to him as a housewarming drink many times back at home. He'd always try to refuse it or demand an outrageous amount of sugar. His parents always got on to him for it. After a few seconds, Kiku sat down next to him with his own cup. 

 

"Do you enjoy your time on our crew so far?" Kiku asked quietly. Alfred almost flinched. Damm it, that was what he was trying to get around. A question like that would no doubt lead to being questioned about his day with Arthur. One he was rather embarrassed to talk about. 

"Y-yeah," Alfred said hesitantly. "It's nicer than I thought." That was the truth. His stomach wanted him to tell Kiku that it was the best he had felt in such a long time but that would be too alarming for everyone involved.

"Good. Er, I hope you and Yao will learn to get along soon." Kiku said. Alfred only nodded. Yao did kind of get on his nerves, but he didn't hate him. He didn't want to hate anyone on this ship. Not when he was unwillingly stuck on it. 

There was another silence. Alfred finally took a sip of the tea. Even with the sugar, it tasted bitter. It wasn't like the tea he had at home, it felt more....like nature? Alfred knew there was a better word for that, but it tasted like more greens or herbs went into it. 

 

"Do you have family back in the colonies?" Kiku said, after a moment. He asked it carefully, as he knew to ask this was a little dangerous.

"Mhm. My parents and my twin brother. They're back in Virginia." Alfred said. He remembered how his parents would shame him if they knew he was apart of a pirate crew.  His father would call him a demon of sorts too. That was the word for pirates. Demons. Sinners. Doomed to Hell. He didn't always see eye to eye with his Father, not even when he was a child.

"That is nice. Is your brother in the military like you were?" Kiku continued. He drank his tea comfortably, as if the taste was normal for him. How weird. 

"Na. He's still back in Virginia. He works for a factory." He said automatically. It would be confusing to say 'I think he is, but he might also be traveling the seas with a French guy'. It wasn't. It probably was a convenience. The only reason Alfred was so worked up over it was that he was just missing him. That was all, right? "Do you have a family back home?"

 

"Hai. All younger." Kiku said. There was a small smile on his lips, the only emotion showing on his otherwise blank face. "I have two brothers and a sister."

"Cool. What are they like?"

"My brother Yong soo was raised while we were visiting in Korea," Kiku explained. "That is a kingdom west of Japan." He added after considering Alfred's blank face. "He isoud and energetic, but our interests are the same. I think you wourd have liked him." 

"You guys visited Korea?" Alfred said after a moment.

"Our famiry travelled a lot before my parents got ill," Kiku said. It sounded as if he should be sad with the last few words, but only the smile left his face, his expression not changing. "They were working for the moarchy of China, which gave them a reason to be in many different countries. My sister Mei was also raised in a different land than the others."

"What about your other brother?"

"The last I saw he was an infant," Kiku said. "A year after he was born I joined this crew. Yong Soo and Mei took after him now."

Alfred paused, only taking little sips of the tea. (He was trying hard not to swallow so much since he disliked it.) He realized he and Kiku had something in common. They both had family they might never see again. They both had families to miss. It made him think he was rather lucky to end up with Kiku on this ship.

 

"I smell tea." Said a voice. Yao had walked in, his bright red shirt in contrast with the wood around him. He spotted the kettle and peered at it, inspecting its contents. "What kind is this?"

"Green tea. I put some sugar in it for Alfred." Kiku answered, smiling fondly. 

"It tastes better without," Yao commented irritably. He grabbed a cup and poured himself one anyway. "What were you two discussing?"

"Family," Alfred said. He remembered the many times Yao had told him not to pry into people's lives and looked away. He was not in the mood to argue, especially with the Chinese man.

Instead, Yao merely shook his head. "It is a more entertaining subject when you are the oldest sibling of five." He frowned at his tea and then took a large sip.

"How much older are you?" Alfred asked, only now noticing how much older Yao truly was compared to Kiku, or even himself. His face seemed more lined in detail, and he even already acted like a sort of mother figure at times to the younger Asian.

"I am thirty-seven. I was sixteen when Kiku was born," Yao answered. "He was such a quiet babe. He barely ever played with the other children." He smirked in fondness like a martial figure. "He made his tutors angry when he got the characters for the Chinese language wrong. He always drew the Japanese ones instead."

"Yao...." Kiku muttered, a blush present on his face. It was clear he was embarrassed. 

 

Alfred chuckled. He was enjoying himself. He hadn't been able to smile genuinely in a while. He had pretended, and maybe felt a bit of joy, but it was always clouded over by.....other things. "How old are the other three?"

"Yong Soo is four years younger than Kiku, and Mei is five years younger than Soo. If I remember correcting, Liam should be eight years old right now." His face fell. "I wish I could see that."

There was an awkward silence. Alfred looked away and tried to drink the rest of his tea without grimacing. God, he hated this tea. He may be able to admit he was not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew when to avoid hurting people's feelings from time to time. Now was one of those times. 

"Of course, Mei liked to run off a lot. She loved to meet other people. She is a little social bug. She and Yong Soo get along quite well." Yao continued, quickly changing the subject, as if he too could tell they were about to dwell in sadness.

"Liam was also a quiet babe, was he not?" Kiku asked.

"Yes. Yong Soo was the one who always cried so much. Should have seen the tantrum he threw when we left Korea. He shook the sails all on his own." Yao said, smiling in fond memory. Despite it, it still seemed sad to Alfred. According to what Yao said ( he could math quite quickly in his head), it had been eight years since their family split. That must have been like torture. Just a month with the knowledge that he might never see Matthew again was torture for him.

"What was in this tea?" Alfred said absentmindedly, glancing in disgust at it.

"It is a kind that is popular back in Aisa. Do you not like it?" Kiku said, looking vaguely concerned.

"N-no. Well, maybe." Alfred said hesitantly. "Not a big fan of tea at all." Sweet tea got a pass. Cold tea just tasted better in his opinion. Especially on hot days. 

 

"Oi, Jones!" Yelled a voice. A short figure peeked in. "Where the hell have ya been?" Richard asked, glaring at Alfred. Oh shit. He was mad. He just knew he would get in trouble with this. And he was really looking forward to sleeping that night. For reasons that really made him uncomfortable.

"Uh... Having tea?" Alfred asked. Richard glared deeper at him, and Alfred only shrank in his seat.

"Whatever. I should be mad at you if I didn't need to send for you. Kirkland wants you." Richard said, folding his arms and leaning against the door frame of the kitchen.

"Wha- wait, what?" Alfred said. Not what he had been expecting. He had been expecting the usual he was in trouble gig and now his punishment was night duty or something that really sucked in his childish opinion. Not that..... Arthur wanted to see him? Oh God, his stomach butterflies were reacting the wrong way to that.

"Kirkland wants to see you in his quarters," Richard said, smirking at the effect such words had on the boy. "Seems Kirkland really likes ya. No other crewmembers but Allistor and maybe Sheamus or Robison get this treatment. What's your secret, lad?"

"Shut up!" Alfred said, flustering. He was horrified to see Yao was snickering behind a hand, while Kiku was just smiling. These damm pirates and they're stupid teasing.

"He is right. You are barely higher than a cabin boy and yet he asks to see you more than any of his boatswains. He always makes Allistor do the dirty work." Yao argued smartly, his smirk directed at Alfred. The poor American blushed intensely and nearly jumped out of his chair.

"You guys are crazy! Why would that be a thing? He's... He doesn't even like me! He-" Alfred yelled defensively, scrunching his nose as he heard the chair scrap loudly on the wood underneath him. Dear God, he sounded like a preteen little girl! This was the pits! "He's the captain! That's nuts!"

"He liked you enough to keep you alive." Richard countered, his laughs getting louder.

"And have you around more than normal," Yao added, accented laughs coming from his end. Alfred couldn't stand it anymore, fucking jumping to conclusions and toying with him. Whatever it was, it wasn't that. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

That didn't make him feel any better at all though.

"Ah, whatever. Don't get your knickers in a twist." Richard said, slapping Alfred's back. Alfred flinched and jumped a foot away, thankfully closer to the door. "Now you oughta go. Wouldn't want to keep your dear captain waiting."

 

Alfred glared in a flustering heat and quickly walked out the door.

 

_________________________

 

 

What could Arthur possibly want this time?

 

 

He stood nervously, his hand half raised to knock on the fancy cabin door that belonged to the Captain.  The sea wind swept in his hair as he stared at the door, as if he stared at it long enough it'll grow arms and a face and scare him. 

He hated how his heartbeat sped up the closer he got to the cabin. He hated how his stomach reacted in rejuvenation towards the idea of being in the same room as Arthur. It was really quite unnerving how quickly it happened now. What was happening to him? 

This was the first time in more than a week he was seeing Arthur since that night. The night he had ended up with a drunk Arthur that had slurringly asked him to stay in his room and then proceeded to ask whether or not Alfred was okay with him fucking the other. Alfred's spine shivered at the thought. And it wasn't just fear.

 

It was arousal. 

 

For why he had no idea. Why he felt arousal towards a man who had tried to kill him, he had no idea. He knew the feelings had been there ever since he had met the British captain, he would be ready to admit that, but now, weeks after the fact, they had revealed themselves in their true glory, way worse and bright as ever.

Well, the longer he stood there, the more his feelings manifested, and the worse they became. It was really just better to get it over with now. He rapped his knuckles on the door, sucking in a breath as he did. He hated how his breathing seemed to stop, almost as if he was longing to hear Arthur answer.

 

"Come in."

 

There it was. Alfred swallowed and took a deep breath. He then opened the door. 

 

Arthur was there, standing behind his desk. This time, a rather large map filled with marks and notes sat, seeming to actually only be of one land mass rather than an entire world map; it was of western Europe. All sorts of coastal towns and ship routes were marked all over the place on it. Kirkland actually looked up at the other, his emerald eyes as captivating and truly memorizing as ever. Fucking bastard. It should be illegal to have eyes so pretty like that, shouldn't it?

"Jones. You took your time." Arthur commented, a poker face present on his face. Alfred felt the heat rising in his cheeks, and he quickly begged it to go away.  

"S-sorry," Alfred said. Ah, there was the terrible pronunciation, right on schedule. Alfred kept his eyes down at the floorboards and closed the door, the creak and shut of the door being the only noise besides the movement of Arthur's quill, which was being put away in a jar. So now he had Arthur's full and undivided attention? Shit.

"Well, it's not like Richard is reliable. The git always takes his time with such things." Arthur said, scowling. "Just sit down, I'd rather not waste any more time."

"Yes, sir," Alfred said nervously, almost reluctantly walking closer and sat down warily. He kept his eyes on the floor as he did, anywhere and anything that wasn't Kirkland. His stomach seized in anticipation as he sat, awaiting Arthur's next word. Was he in trouble? He couldn't remember doing anything that would catch the attention of the captain...

 

"You're not in trouble, lad," Arthur said after a moment, his emerald green eyes looking at Alfred, who still determinedly kept his eyes down at the table surface. Arthur had a large expanse of books and quills, Alfred noted in his moment of distraction.

Why was it that Arthur could always read his mind? Was he physic or something? Or did Alfred just give it away? "H-how can you tell?" He asked quietly.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Arthur commented. He smirked. "I can always tell when others are scared of something, and it's usually me when I'm in the room. Rest assured, you're not in any kind of trouble, lad."

"O-oh," Alfred muttered. Well, that was a bit of relief. Not really, because he was still in Arthur's presence after all. "T-then why am I here....?"

 

"I've noticed the comments your superiors have left." Arthur elaborated calmly. He began to stroll slowly away from his desk, putting Alfred on edge. It reminded him of fairy tale villains who would monologue or explain some master deduction. "You do seem to be a magnet for little trouble, but it's not as if you've tried to run away the first chance you got. I didn't think you would of anyway. That would've been highly idiotic."

This was going nowhere that made sense to Alfred. He frowned in a sort of childish confusion and spontaneously looked up at Arthur, who was now closer to his side rather than the desk. Crap.  
"What does that mean...?"

"Mm, still as slow as ever," Arthur said, frowning a little. He was behind Alfred now. "Richard has requested to have an actually trained mate, one that can get more work done. I've granted that wish, considering a port in a well-sized town is already very recent in the schedule." Ah, shit, now was he going to have to clean things like a cabin boy? He noticed this ship oddly didn't have one. "So, I see it perfectly befitting to simply give you a promotion."

Alfred stared at Arthur, completely confused. So, he was being promoted? That came out... Unexpectedly? Randomly? Completely unforeseeable?  
"R-really? But... I've hardly done anything. I've only been here less than a month."

"I am aware of that. " Arthur came back into view. His eyes never wavered from his, staring straight into him, almost as if he were taking note of every single little thing Alfred was doing. There was something behind the coolness and the power Arthur held right now, and Alfred was sure he was just being paranoid. "It's the more rational decision rather than simply give any other available jobs, which are all of lower position than you are already at. Seems rather unfair, does it not?"

"Ummm..." Alfred tried, but ultimately couldn't. Arthur's eyes made his thoughts go crazy. Not to mention that dashing face and those amazingly attractive lips. He had never known he'd ever meet someone so visually appealing. He'd never get over this. 

Arthur's brow furrowed. "Is my point not clear enough? Do I need to put it on paper for you?" He remarked sarcastically. Alfred immediately looked down in embarrassment, his cheeks glowing red.

"Sorry. Yes, I get it, sir." Alfred said quickly.  
He suddenly wanted Arthur to do anything. Anything. Even just the simple brush of the touch. This was so unfair. Why did he feel this way to such a person?

He realized he been staring. But then again, Arthur was too? He hadn't moved. He had been looking at Alfred the entire time, those eyes unwavering, unblinking, as if they'd been having a staring contest the entire time. What was going on? Could Arthur stop that? Alfred almost couldn't take it anymore.

 

Then there was a hand in his shoulder. Alfred's heart nearly jumped out of his body. What......?

 

"S-sir?" Alfred said, his voice getting desperately broken. He was terrified of how his stomach had twisted in such arousal and happiness and fear, as if this was the best thing that could happen to him. But why....? Why? What was he doing?

Arthur didn't respond. His eyes looked almost blanked, and yet it seemed there was a small mark of something. Fear? Desperateness? A battle of emotions? Arthur shouldn't feel that right? It was...Arthur......

 

Then the arm seized into his shoulder. Alfred yelped, and then there were lips smashing into his. 

 

Arthur was kissing him. 

 

Alfred's eyes stayed wide open in absolute shock in the sheer rush of alarming emotions and just the mere fact of what the utter hell was happening. Alfred's thoughts crashed and burned and exploded as the only thing that registered was Arthur, Arthur's lips crashing viscously into his, as if this was quite the shock to him too. But that couldn't be.

 

The kiss went on for more than seconds. Arthur's lips smashed lustfully into his as if it could never be enough, and Alfred was all too shocked to do anything except moan and twist where he sat. Arthur bit into Alfred's mouth harshly, and Alfred moaned and opened his mouth with a half effort. That was Arthur's tongue, nudging its way into his mouth. There was the taste of tea and sea salt and something sweet like roses or cake. It was.....so amazing Alfred will never find a word for it.

 

Arthur opened his eyes. He slowly drifted away from Alfred, their kiss ending as quickly as it began.

 

Alfred sat there, panting. Eyes wide open in disbelief and sheer shock and pleasure. Arthur really did just snog him, didn't he? Oh my God.....

 

There was a flicker of emotion from Arthur's eyes. Before Alfred could truly notice, the Captain's hand seized from where it now sat on Alfred's neck, and then he swiftly strode, ran in the other direction. Within seconds Arthur's bedroom door had been slammed. There was some sort of frustrated noise. And then it all ceased.

 

Alfred slowly stood, his hand immediately coming to meet his mouth, where the feeling and taste of Arthur still lingered. Holy shit. Sweet Lord Jesus.

 

 

Arthur had just kissed him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5 End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11/10/19  
> I got rid of Kiku's little accent. It began to annoy me and I just felt like it looks better normal.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred is at long last reunited with Matthew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A thank you to Felix for helping me out with some characterization on Spain and Romano. Many UsUk fics and some others, like x readers and stuff, make Spain quite a lot more sadistic and cunning than he really is, and Felix helped me fix that here. She writes a lot of Spamano on her page.

_________________________

 

 

He was alone in the town this time. When he had woken up, which happened to be very late in the morning, so much so that he had missed breakfast, he could not find Kiku or anyone else he knew of, leaving him to explore the town on his own. It was unmistakably hot in the village, and the sun burned down on the back of this neck, probably leaving a sunburn that would irritate him later. 

 

He should've figured he'd sleep in so late, after all, he was kept up so late last night. That had been entirely his own doing. He had tried to sleep, eventually. He just couldn't. When he did, he kept waking up from the dreams that then haunted his subconscious.

 

Once he had finally gotten over his shock enough to do something, the first thing he did was run off to go hide in his room. He didn't want to socialize anymore. He didn't care if Richard came looking for him. As far as he was concerned, he didn't have to answer to him anymore. He wouldn't be able to focus otherwise.

He hid in there for the rest of the day. By the time someone finally came in on him, he had pretended to already be in deep slumber. He didn't want questions. He didn't want to talk. He barely wanted to think. He wanted to just hide and try to figure out what fuck had just happened to him.

He had never imagined such a thing would happen to him. Who knew the very person he fantasized about, the one that made his stomach jump in arousal and need, would be the one to move in on him. He felt his mind racing back to it, dancing in confusion, excitement, pleasure, cold fear. Such beautiful emotions that exploded in his mind and went straight to his stomach. 

 

Why? Why did Arthur kiss him? It was outrageous! Completely out of nowhere! What did he do to make that happen!? He couldn't lie to himself, he barely did anything before. Alfred had still remembered how Arthur told him he wouldn't mind him being his next victim in bed all those weeks ago.

 

But was it really only lust?

 

It had to be right? It couldn't really have been anything else right? That would be truly absurd. He would be a true idiot to think about such things.

 

He was trying to find a distraction now. He looked around in feigned curiosity at all of the streets signs, all of the advertising restaurants and shops, all kinds of things Alfred could suddenly find himself caring less and less about. He had actually had some money with him, which he had switched out for French currency. The bank had helpful texts underneath translating the French captions to other languages for foreign visitors. Including English, thank God.

His childish thoughts made him tempted to at least buy something, anything. Even if it turned out to be some useless junk. But he couldn't think of anything. It occurred to him he could buy himself the sword he had been missing ever since he joined the Emerald Rose. When he had woken up, he couldn't find Allistor, so he no idea what his sudden promotion was.

 

Speak of the devil, he spotted a blacksmith's shop only a couple buildings down. He stopped to peer inside the thick glass at the displays of weaponry and material. The less expensive and fantastic ones were given less attention, being stored and sold on shelves deeper in the shop.

He wondered if he had enough money for one. He didn't want a good one; the swords distributed to the soldiers upon entering the Navy were very basic. Now that he had the freedom to buy a better sword, he kind of wanted to. But then again, he remembered swords were expensive. Especially ones with special fancy hilts and designs. One that matched the power and ferocity of say,  a king or a ship captain would cost a fortune, surely not an amount of money Alfred had ever owned in his life.

Curious nonetheless, he slowly opened the door into the shop, his eyes taking small relief in the lowering of light. He looked around the old shop, realizing how small it really was. He peeked at the most expensive looking weapons, which were put on stands to show off every detail that might entice a customer into buying it.

Just as he suspected, the first one he looked at cost thirty-thousand Francs. He did not have anywhere close to that. He had like what? A little over a hundred? Not to mention Francs ended up worth more than pounds. Whatever that meant. 

 

"Excuse me, can I help you, sir?" Said a voice. Alfred turned to see a plump man of about forty or so with a blacksmith's apron approaching him. He was suddenly glad he had met someone here who spoke English. It seemed more as if English was his actual first language because no accent was present. 

"Uh.....just looking?" Alfred said distractedly. He feigned a smile at him and returned to looking. If he had wanted a distraction, he certainly didn't mean something that included talking with other people. He already felt a major headache coming back. Damm.

"Perhaps I could help you then. Do you have a price range?" The blacksmith asked. He didn't seem to be the actual owner of the business, rather seeming to be someone who just helped run it. Alfred signed and forced his brain to think in the kindest manner possible.

"Uh, I guess, something kind of cheap?" Alfred said, shrugging his shoulders. He faltered a little when he saw the blacksmith looking curiously at him.

 

"Say, weren't you just in here a few minutes ago with that French bloke?" He asked, his brow furrowing as he examined him with interest.

"Huh?" Alfred asked, his face dropping into confusion. "No, I wasn't."

"Weird. There was a bloke that looked a lot like you visiting earlier. His friend needed a new dagger or something. Ya' sure you don't know them?" He asked, folding his arms.

 

Suddenly all thoughts of buying anything came to a screeching halt.

 

 

Matthew?

 

 

"W-what did he look like?" Alfred said in sudden urgency, resisting the urge to grab the man and shake him for answers. Holy sweet Jesus, his stomach and heart were suddenly jumping with excitement. But there just couldn't be any possibility it really was him. There was no way. It was impossible, right?

"Like I said, a lot like you. Eh, but maybe his eyes were more like purple or something" the blacksmith said, a little confused. He seemed to realize that the conversation was being led away from the subject of what was on sale and he frowned at Alfred. "I thought you wanted a sword?"

"I don't care!" Alfred shouted impatiently. For once he didn't apologize, he only took a step closer with more urgency. It couldn't be, there was no way. He was just missing Matthew too much. There was no way he was here. Oh, but his hopes were already so high! "Anything else?"

"Calm down!" The blacksmith said, now apparently annoyed with the supposed customer's behavior. "His hair was like yours I guess, except it was lighter. That stupid curl thing was longer too. Why does this matter?" He asked impatiently.

"Stop it! I'm not going to buy anything until you stop being mean!" Alfred said, glaring stubbornly. "Do you know where he went?"

"What? They went to that little shop down the street. It's the only one in town that sells cheap soft drinks apparently. Now, are you willing to make a purchase or are you just going to make me kick you out?!" The unhappy blacksmith roared, not happy at all now.

"Nope! I'll come back later!" Alfred said, a new burst of happiness surging through him, the kind he hadn't felt in ages. Suddenly it was so abundantly possible that he really would be able to see Matthew again. Forget buying a sword, he had to go find him!

"Oi! Come back!!" The blacksmith screamed in outrage, but Alfred was already gone.

 

It had only just now dawned on the American that he really had no idea how to find the shop the blacksmith had been talking about.  Well, maybe except that they advertised cheap soft drinks. He'd never had one of those before. They were still very new and expensive to make. 

He eagerly looked up towards the signs again and walked quickly down the streets, bypassing the sparse amount of passerby. He became increasingly frustrated with his success. Many shops from which he read their signs and peeked into the windows didn't have what he was looking for.

The more his mind raced the more he began to doubt just how truly lucky this was. There was no way he could be right. His hopes were getting so high though. Who else fits that description? He became almost terrified about being wrong. It already hard enough to avoid his depressing thoughts about a brother he might never see again. That he really might see again.

Then his eyes landed upon a low hanging street sign that had big captions in both French and English reading something about bubbly beverages. He breathed heavily to catch his breath, three blocks of frantic searching was no easy feat.

 

The shop was small, its main income obviously was selling all kinds of drinks. Alcohol, milk, and apparently soft drinks. Alfred had always wanted to try one of those, upon hearing they only were being sold in Europe. Several little tables and chairs were set out in the building's shade for customers to enjoy their drinks. Like many other shops in this town, it also had little window displays of the drinks most likely to fascinate people passing by.

 

He felt his heart skip several beats as his eyes finally found a very familiar figure gazing into the window with interest.  
In the reflection of the glass, he could see violet eyes hidden behind glasses that almost undeniably matched his own.

 

Matthew.....

 

He couldn't believe it.

 

His mouth fell open like a codfish as he slowly but surely walked in disbelief towards the shop. Towards his brother. A rather disdainful looking women bumped into him and shouted at him to watch where he was going, but he didn't listen. He couldn't. His brain was about to explode with so many different emotions.

"Ummm......" Alfred began quietly, not sure what to say. What do you say to the person you thought you might never see again after being almost killed by pirates and joining their crew, effectively being thrown out of the family and somehow falling in love with their captain along the way? He should just ignore that last part.  
"M-Matthew.......?"

"Eh? Can I help-" the figure turned around. Alfred was met with the light purple orbs of his little brother. The eyes he had never thought he'd see again. The eyes he had promised to see again. They widened in equal disbelief and surprise. "A.....A-Alfred?"

 

It really was him

 

"Oh my god...Mattie!!" The older brother shouted, suddenly all of his doubt out the door. He wanted to run up and hug him, hug him and never let go again, but disbelief made it hard to move. Instead, he almost tripped into him, moving as fast as he could to wrap his arms around Matthew again. 

"Alfred?! Oh my God..." Matthew said, already sounding close to tears. Alfred had nearly forgotten what that sounded like. He had almost forgotten how Matthew had always managed to be barely centimeters taller than him. His heart couldn't have been happier to hug his twin sibling like this again. "H-how....how are you here?"

"Long story," Alfred mumbled, he himself feeling close to tears. He couldn't believe it. He almost expected to just wake up back in his cabin to find this was all some cruel dream. He really was here, hugging the life out of one the most important people in his life. It almost reminded him of how it felt when he departed for the navy and left him behind, and made that promise. "How are you here?"

"Eheh, it's kind of also a long story," Matthew said, his tone being invaded by near tears of joy. Alfred felt so happy to see that smile again. "I didn't... I actually didn't think I'd see you again..."

Nothing had changed it appeared. He still always sounded soft, to the point that barely anyone noticed him. Even their own parents had trouble trying to find their youngest son. He was still as kind and sweet, even in a state of emotional shock, as Alfred remembered.

 

"Yeah, well....heroes don't break promises," Alfred said, chuckling happily. He finally released Matthew. "I don't... I can't believe it. I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too. It's been such a crazy few months..." Matthew said, trailing off into a small smile. Few passersby stopped to stare at what must have been quite a curious sight. "Is....is your Navy crew visiting?"

Oh.

"Uh...about that," Alfred said, laughing hesitantly. He knew he would have to try to explain to him the crazy events that had happened to him within the past few weeks. He was suddenly very grateful that in all of the places he was to be reunited with his brother, it was here. Now he could possibly be saved from having to talk to his parents. His disapproving parents who wouldn't have let him anywhere near Matthew had he told them the truth.

He glanced back at the display of drinks, and an idea caught him. "Wanna buy a drink? I'll explain the story. Haven't you always wanted to try one of those?" He asked, smiling brightly as he pointed at the smaller display of the soft drinks. Alfred couldn't help but smile. After all, he had missed his brother so much. The only other thing that had brought such giddy happiness lately was......horribly confusing at the moment. 

 

Matthew only smiled in understanding. "Of course. You get to pay though."

 

"Aw, what? No fair!"

 

_____________________

 

 

In the end, he ended up telling Matthew everything. They ended up buying a cheap bottled beverage with a lemon taste. (It tasted like lemonade but sweeter.) As they sat outside on one of the little tables, Alfred told him everything. How his ship was attacked, how he came to join a pirate crew, and everything else.

He had originally thought about leaving Kirkland out if it, but he then figured Matthew deserved to know everything. Matthew had always known everything. When it became clear there were some things he could no longer confine with his parents, his younger brother was the one. He also then realized his immense stress of not having anyone to talk to about...Arthur. 

 

"So...your in love with him?" Matthew finished, having listened to everything with patience. He had always listened to his brother talk, even if it was more of his childish nonsense. He seemed to take Alfred's story with great interest.  

"Heh heh, yeah. Crazy, I know..." Alfred said, taking the bottle from him. He actually kind of liked the stuff. It didn't quite feel like lemonade, but he liked the sweet taste.  "I don't know what to do next now... It's like I think I'm right, and then he just....makes its wrong."

"It's not crazy. I can tell you fell hard. Remember that Russian girl from two years ago?" Matthew said in fond memory. He grinned gently at Alfred's scrunched look of distaste.

"Ugh, Natalya?" Alfred groaned. The Russian girl he had tried dating after finding he liked guys to try to convince his parents that they hadn't found out the truth. In the long run, it had worked but ended up becoming a weird dating experience. "What about her?"

"You claimed you fell in love with her too. You kind of did, but you were just confused about a lie, right?" 

"Yes. Don't ever say I loved her again. I think she can hear across oceans."

"Eheh, whatever. This isn't like that, I can tell." Matthew elaborated. He smiled in surprising understanding. "Do you really think it's just lust?"

"Well, what else could it be?" Alfred said, furrowing his brow as he stared at nothing in particular. "A murderous pirate captain fell in love with the person he forced into his crew? Why?"

"Dunno..." Matthew said trailing off.

 

"Aw, well, now it's your turn," Alfred said, smiling playfully. "Now you get to tell me why you're all the way over here in coastal France."

Matthew's face became comparable to what Alfred's looked like when he told him about Arthur. "Eh....well remember how you mentioned you had thought I was with a French pirate?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, you were right," Matthew said, laughing nervously. "Your story is a lot like mine."

Alfred stared for a moment. His mind jumped back to when he remembered Francis jumping on him under the influence that he was Matthew. It made sense. Really, Alfred felt like an idiot now for not believing himself or the evidence presented. 

"How.....how did you meet that Francis guy then?" Alfred asked helpfully. In the end, it made no sense because he didn't know Matthew liked men, or that Francis was really even his type. But, he was willing to give time for Matthew to explain.

"About a year ago, our father brought me with him to visit Richmond; I had asked. He was there on a church project, I can't remember what it was anymore, but Bonnefoy's crew attacked the ports that night." Matthew began with uncertainty. "It was, I think a few months after you left for the Navy."

A pang of guilt shot through Alfred. "Do you remember if pops survived?" He asked cautiously.  He may never be able to get along with his father again, but now he knew he'd feel guilty if things were the way they were and his father was dead.

"I don't. I'm sorry..."

"Just keep going, Mattie..."

"Okay. I was trying to get away back to the inn we were at, but I ran into a group of men. They attacked me and knocked me out. I woke up on their ship. They were going to try to sell me into the slave market but, then I met their captain." At this Matthew smiled as he finished the bottled drink. "He was nice, he let me stay and told his men not to hurt me."

The story sounded kind of off. "That's a little weird don't you think?" Alfred asked. He had always at least tried to listen with the same level of patience as Matthew would, but sometimes his own childish antics got the better of him. 

"I did at first. Francis was kind of distant with me at first. But then he became real sweet and such. I didn't start to have feelings towards him until a bit after he did. He promised to never let anything hurt me and said he cared for me, and I let him. One night, I think he just snapped."

"He snapped?"

"He asked to see me and then confessed about why he kept me alive and safe. He..." Matthew stopped talking. He was blushing red now. His smile became more anxious. "Well...we ended up having sex." He finished bluntly.

Alfred coughed harshly in surprise. "You two had sex?!"

"Alfred! Not so loud!" Matthew yelled in embarrassment, turning redder. 

"Oh....sorry. Um, you two had sex?" Alfred tried again, now equally embarrassed at the subject. It was more embarrassing when he considered Matthew was technically his younger twin and had lost his virginity before he did. Out of all things. 

"Actually....we've had a lot of sex," Matthew said hesitantly. "Is this part really that important?" Alfred noticed he didn't seem too comfortable to talk about this.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Alfred joked, giving a fake scoff.

Matthew almost smirked. Almost. "No."

"Okay good, moving on," Alfred said, laughing at his brother's reaction. He could almost convince himself he really was back home, joking about other things. As if the past few months really hadn't happened. 

"So why are you here in this port then?" Alfred said, now entraining himself by looking around at the people passing by. It was much past noon, and lots of people were around. Not much passed by the street they were on though.

"Oh...Francis wanted to meet with Kirkland and Carriedo about something. He said it was really serious. When he came back though, he said it didn't go really well. They didn't settle anything." Matthew explained. "There was a lot of French insults."

 

"French insults?" Alfred repeated confused. "Since when did you understand French?"

"Francis has been teaching me." Matthew complied. 

There was a pause after that. They continued to watch the people go about their daily business. It seemed somewhat different from them doing the same back in Virginia. French people just acted differently. Alfred could find himself intrigued, but not for long. 

 

"Ah! Matthew! Mind telling me where your French amor went off to?" A voice behind Alfred said. It walked into view and immediately threw an arm over Matthew's shoulder. Alfred felt confused to look at who it was.

The man with a Spanish accent smiled warmly at Matthew as if he knew of him from somewhere, but it put Alfred off. Rubbed off him the wrong way or something. An exhausted looking man stood off the side, seemingly glaring at Antonio for no reason, "Er, no idea, sorry Antonio. A simple hello is appreciated though." Matthew said, smiling politely. 

 

Oh, so this was Antonio Carriedo.

 

Alfred looked at him with new interest. The man had chocolate brown and windswept wavy hair, which blended perfectly with his tanned skin. He wore a red coat much too similar to Kirkland's, but it resembled more of a dark, blood red rather than scarlet. 

Antonio also had bright green eyes, but they were more like jades or olives rather than emeralds. They still contrasted widely and perfectly with his coat, entirely on purpose. Black and gold were also everywhere, and a bunch of feathers that resembled exotic birds were the only thing spilling out of his hat, no other gold present.

"Oh? You did not tell anyone you would be meeting a friend! Who is this hombre encantador?" Antonio asked brightly, noticing Alfred. Alfred tried to smile in return, but he couldn't shake the feeling about Antonio. Or maybe he wasn't used to meeting pirates as he should be by now.

"Oi, bastard. When will go back to the ship already? It feels so hot I might boil from the sun!" The man at his side grumbled, looking like he was ready to get as far from any other human being as soon as possible. He spoke with an Italian accent, and it was no hard feat to tell he wasn't as easy to make happy as Antonio. Said person seemed to pay him no mind however.

"That's Alfred," Matthew said kindly. 

"What a nice name, Alfred! Do you two know each other?" Antonio said in a friendly tone, which only made the grumpy Italian glare harder at being ignored.

“Haha, yeah. We're brothers." Alfred said, nodding with Matthew. He was used to one immediately noticing how much they looked alike and then asking if they were brothers. After all, it was quite easy to tell.

 

Something clicked. Antonio smirked lightly. The hand around Matthew's shoulder stiffened. "Ah, so you're brothers? That should make this easier I hope. I thought you two looked very close, even from afar."

 

"Eh? What-" Matthew was cut off when Antonio yanked him out of his chair and into his arms. His sentence turned into a scream, followed by the Italian's outcries of outraged confusion and shock.

 

"Hey! Let go of him!" Alfred yelled, jumping up from his chair. His heart had jumped into his boots. No, no one could hurt Matthew. Not Matthew. Not after all of that.

 

"Fucking shit! There are people everywhere Toni! You idiot!" The Italian shouted angrily, trying to glance around at the streets and glare at Antonio at the same time.

"Don't worry mi amor, boss has everything under control!" Antonio assured him. His smirk was still present, now surrounded by a nefarious mood. In seconds, Matthew was restained under his arm with a gun pointed at his skull. 

"Matthew!" Alfred screamed in horror, noticing all too soon where that gun was pointed, ready to end his dear brother's life at any moment. No, not after he had only just reunited with him! He couldn't bear the thought of losing him. He felt his heart almost sink further as he saw tears gather at Matthew's eyes, surrounded by fear and confusion.

"Now, I'm really sorry about this but I'm afraid that there is no other choice. Just do what I say and this will be fine," Antonio said smoothly, as if he wasn't holding someone's loved one and threatening to kill them. He signaled with his head. Alfred heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see a group of men walking towards him, swords unsheathed. Shit. He couldn't let any of them hurt Matthew. His own safety felt minuscule compared to the other's.

"W-what do you want?" Alfred asked quickly, turning around with caution. He couldn't let Matthew die. He couldn't do anything but do what the Spanish captain wanted. He had to.

"Aw, don't worry amigo!" Antonio said, but he only shoved the gun deeper into Matthew's skull, causing the poor younger man to whimper and struggle. "I don't really want to hurt him, so as long as you play along, he'll be fine!"

"Please, just don't!" Alfred yelled desperately. It became so hard to think straight when he saw Matthew stare in equal desperation at Alfred, almost giving up on struggling. "I'll do whatever you want!"

"Perfecto." Antonio beamed, his smirk growing wider, "I want you to drop whatever weapons you have and surrender to my men behind you. Simple as that." 

 

"You....want me to surrender?" Alfred repeated slowly. He glanced back in trepidation at the men now right behind him. But what did he want with him? 

 

"Sí, mi amigo," Antonio said. "I hate to do it this way but I need you, and alive."

Alfred hesitated. Honestly, his hand was already at the dagger tied at his belt around his trousers. It was the only weapon he actually had. He didn't care about his own safety, only about Matthew. He couldn't let anything happen to him. He was slightly worried about why they wanted him. "If....if I surrender, you'll let Mattie go, right?"

Matthew tried to protest, anger flickering on his face, but Antonio swiftly put a hand to his mouth, forcefully silencing him. "Of course! Again I don't really want to hurt him so I will promise you that his life will be spared at your surrender." He wrapped his arm tighter around Matthew and nudged his head. "If I were you I would drop the dagger."

Not for a moment did Alfred doubt what he was doing. Even when he saw Matthew look at him pleadingly and shake his head, tears gathering at his eyes. He dropped his head and let the weapon in his hand clatter to the ground. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, I'll surrender." Alfred agreed, lifting his head to glare at Antonio with all the anger and defeat he could muster. "Now let him go."

Antonio's smirk turned into such a victorious smile. He signaled to his men behind Alfred once again "Grab him."

Alfred yelped as pairs of hands shoved him to the ground. He fell to the stone pavement and dirt harshly. He could hear ordinary townsfolk screaming in horror, but they were quickly scared away by the other pirates. Alfred felt his injured arm being twisted in agony as his arms were forced behind his back by two men. Another smashed his boot into Alfred's skull, forcing his head to the side. All he could do was scream painfully.

 

"Espléndido," Antonio said as he watched Alfred being rendered powerless by his command. He threw Matthew into his Italian companion's arms and put away his gun. He began to stride with audacity towards the group.

Alfred gritted his teeth as he felt pain surge through all sides of his body. He couldn't open his mouth to scream, not with his face being smashed into the stone floor by a boot. So he could only moan in agony when he felt one of his fingers being bent where it definitely shouldn't as his hands were being harshly tied behind his back. Geez, could they be any rougher with him?

"I didn't think it was going to be this easy," Antonio commented as he stared down at his captive. His eyes gleamed at his advancements with his plan. Alfred noticed then that they shone with little mercy, much unlike Arthur, who for some reason had always spared him, and insisted on hiding why. 

"Idiota!" Lovino shouted unhappily, enjoying what Antonio was doing but annoyed greatly by his negligence. He glared at Matthew in his arms, who looked on the verge of tears as he helplessly watched his brother being taken. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with his brother!?"

"Just wait a bit, Lovi. We need him to deliver our message." Antonio said, his smile growing fondly at his companion's behavior. He nudged Alfred's side with his boot, making the other feel totally helpless to stop any of this. That's what he was. Helpless. "As for our other friend, knock him out, please. It'll make it easier to take him back to the ship. Whatever you do, just keep him alive." 

Alfred could only try to scream about Matthew's safety as the man on his skull stepped off and bent down to grab his head. He couldn't struggle, he had promised to surrender after all. Even if this meant he was once again being held captive by pirates. The last thing he heard was Matthew's screaming as his head was brought back down to earth.

 

Then it was all black.

 

 

 

Chapter 6 End


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur is hit with the relization of how much Alfred means to him now. He can't afford to lose someone else again. Alfred wakes up as Antonio's prisoner, his future looking rather bleak in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a bit more work to finish. A lot happens, and a lot of emotions get thrown at each other. I also have begun to kind of like writing Antonio's character, and his alter pirate ego.

____________________

 

 

Arthur had no more opinions on sunsets. They were pretty, especially at sea. But now he just had bad memories about them. Every so often when he saw one, he would be reminded about how often he would watch one with Francis back when he thought they were in love. Back when he thought he'd be happy.

 

Now, however, he couldn't stop imagining how breathtaking Alfred looked in the sunset's rays. How the sailing wind would sweep his hair and make his golden locks shine. How nice it would be to spend this time with him, watching the sunset. How cheesy and sappy it sounded nowadays. If Francis could hear his thoughts right now he would never let him live it down. 

Francis had insisted they share one of those expensive bottles of wine while he was on his ship. Arthur hadn't even invited him into his cabin, he just imposed upon him insisting that they talk about things. His red coat, which he only really ever took off in the privacy of his cabin, lay resting behind him on the chair. Of course, everything was still on his belt. Leading such a dangerous life like his own had taught to never let himself be caught off guard. 

Arthur didn't really hate wine. He just never happened to like the wine Francis gave him. It never tasted enjoyable. Of course, alcohol never tasted quite that great. It was alcohol after all. He just couldn't understand why Francis liked it so much. There was a lot of things he never understood about Francis after all. Their past love and passion for each other was usually fueled by lust after all. 

 

It only scared him more how different his love for Alfred felt. 

 

"You know, " Francis began, breaking up the silence that had crawled over them. He glanced over at Arthur from where he sat in a chair beside Arthur's, facing the windows. "Antonio won't leave us alone until you comprise."

Arthur only glared slightly into his wine glass. Ah, of course. Carriedo. Oh, how he wished he could tear him apart and throw his corpse into the sea. "He knows well I will not pay him even a cent of what he claims I owe. Perhaps one day those stupid carbohydrates will finally affect his brain and knock some sense into that rock he calls a brain. It makes me wonder how he has risen to such a title."

"You have to remember his crew has come to respect him over the years. What he may lack in brains he makes up for in brutalité. He does anything to get what he wants if he has to." Francis said kindly. He smiled gently. "He will get tired of your clever little tricks mon bouton."

"I don't care if I have to pound it into his skull. I am not doing anything for him. If he asks me again I swear I'll hurt his stupid first mate." Arthur said harshly. Honestly, Antonio gave him a headache these days. How he has to rise up in fame like this with him following so close behind irritated him to such great lengths.

"So harsh Arthur." Francis mocked, grinning smugly. "You know, his little tomato Lovi reminds me a little of your petit Alfred."

Arthur scowled at Francis. Of course, the French frog of all people had caught on to how Arthur acted or looked around Alfred. Of course. "That's absurd. Besides, why would you care about one who doesn't concern you?"

"Don't think I don't know what's going on," Francis said, laughing in such a way that caused Arthur headaches. "It makes me happy that you have moved on since troubling times."

"Shut up," Arthur said tersely. 

"You only show me proof about how right the master of love is."

"If you are the world's master of love, then our world has some serious problems."

"So rude Angleterre!"

"Captain Bonnefoy!" 

A sharp unfamiliar voice broke out accompanied by a loud knocking on the door, interrupting Arthur and Francis from their bickering. During the new silence, one could decipher faint noises of distress from the other end.

 

Francis looked out of slight confusion before setting down his wine glass on the window seal. "Entrez!"

The door opened in a hurry. A man with blond spiky hair pushed it open, revealing the other two. A brunette and worried looking women holding another, crying softly into her arms.

"Mon Dieu! Matthieu!" Francis cried in surprise. He hurried forward out of his chair and around the desk to take his lover into his arms. Matthew accepted this gesture of comfort with no questions and let Francis wrap his arms around him. "What happened?"

Arthur only watched with mild interest where he sat. It was still uncanny to him how much Matthew looked like Alfred. He wasn't nearly as handsome to him as Alfred was, but they still looked almost identical. 

"I...i-its...Th-they..." Matthew was having a lot of trouble speaking normally as even the memory seemed to cause him a new wave of sobs.

"Shhh, it is okay mon chéri. I know you are stronger than this. You can tell me. What happened?" Francis cooed. He nodded at the two members of Francis's crew who brought Matthew in. "Lars, Bella, you two can wait outside the door. This is private."

The women, or perhaps that was Bella, nodded her head and gestured to Lars, whose expression had not changed at all since entering the room. They soon left. Francis led Matthew gently to his chair and sat him, all the while comforting him.

"I hope you won't be bringing all sorts of your crew on my ship," Arthur said, having only been watching with quiet eyes. After a while, he began to turn a deaf ear to Francis's lovers. 

"Have a heart Angleterre. My little Matthieu is obviously in distress. Are you ready to tell me what has hurt you so?" Francis said softly, his mood entirely different than that of what it was when discussing things with Arthur. The latter knew this was a normal feat and it was simple enough for him to simply roll his eyes.

"I-I'll be f-fine Francis," Matthew said quietly. "It's...its Antonio." 

 

Oh, well now this was interesting. Arthur felt his aching head only grow. It was common that any affair involving Carriedo these days ended in a headache for Arthur these days. Perhaps maybe even a night of drinking his problems away. He was not in the mood to deal with whatever joke Antonio pulled on Francis.

"ça va ma petite feuille d'érable," Francis said soothingly. These words in French seemed to comfort Matthew, but it was clear some sort of distress was visible on his face still. "What did Antonio do?"

 

"He....h-he took Alfred."

 

Arthur froze. The world seemed to freeze with him. There came that familiar, most unwelcome feeling of worry, of admiration, of fear. His heart felt like it had jumped out the window, plunging and freezing into the icy depths of the seas outside the glass barriers. He hadn't felt such a thing in ages. Matthew, on the other hand, seemed ready to break into sobs again.

Francis glanced at Arthur before he continued, clearly, somehow already knowing the storm that had just erupted in the Brit's mind. "Shhhh, feuille d'érable. How about you tell us the story?"

"U-uhhh...W-well me and A-Al were out for a drink. Then Antonio and his first mate were there. N-nothing seemed wrong until...." He trailed off. 

"Until?" Francis pressed. Arthur's throat seemed to curl up on him. He suddenly found himself wishing that Alfred was okay, that nothing terribly bad had happened. Oh god, what was wrong with him?!

"A-Antonio grabbed me and pointed a gun at my head." Francis's face morphed into one of shock and outrage. "H-He said if Alfred didn't surrender to his men, he'd kill me." Matthew finished. He squeezed harder into Francis's arms, and Francis complied to hold him tighter. It was obvious his protective and passionate nature was showing.

Arthur, meanwhile, felt rage bubbling. How dare that dense wanker? This was certainly the last straw. "What happened next?" Arthur interrupted, cutting off Francis's next question. Francis looked in mild surprise to see Arthur up from his chair, anger visible. In any normal situation, Arthur would hide such an emotional storm that made him look vulnerable, but it was obvious he couldn't. He didn't know why. Alfred did a lot of things to him he didn't know the reason for.

"A-Alfred surrendered to them. They kidnapped him." Matthew said quietly. "Antonio says if you don't pay him now, he'll...." Matthew seemed unable to say what horrible things might happen to Alfred. Arthur didn't need to hear any more of it though.

"That's enough." Arthur finished. He turned away in frustration, his hand coming to his mouth. His mind seemed almost like it was in flames, unable to focus and bumbling around in terror. Ever the pessimist he was, he began to assume the worst. It was clear what will happen to Alfred if he didn't act.

 

He couldn't live without Alfred.

 

He couldn't. He wouldn't. 

 

"Matthieu dear, how about you go back to Bella and Lars? They'll get you patched up with a nice cup of hot tea to help calm you. I'll be there will you in a minute."  
Francis said, giving his lover one last soothing pat.

"B-but..." He looked desperately troubled. "Y-you will do something about him, right? We can't just..." Matthew began softly, his worries almost as troubled about Alfred as Arthur's might be. But he was sure that could not be possible. 

"Of course we will. If Angleterre will not, then I will. In the meantime, let your amour and Kirkland discuss a course of action, oui?" Francis reassured him, leaning forward to give him a small peck on the cheek. Matthew only nodded numbly and let Francis assist him in walking to the door.

 

Arthur waited until the door shut. Then he finally broke.

 

His first came down on the window seal, all of his fury releasing in the impact. He cared little about how it hurt his fist to hit solid wood so hard, or how the force caused a forgotten wine glass to fall over and shatter with impact upon the ground. 

"Arthur! Calm down!" Francis said at once, a look of frustration accompanied by deep concern. But he didn't care. He couldn't.

 

He couldn't lose Alfred. He couldn't lose someone again. Not again.

 

"That bloody tomato-eating freak!" Arthur shouted, growling at the window as if he were about to smash that too. Instead his hands connected with something else and it was sent crashing to the floor in clatter that failed in calm his rage. Anything to stabilize his fury. His fear. He wanted to break something, he wanted to break Antonio, make him pay for daring to touch Alfred, daring to make such a bold assumption that Arthur would come to Alfred's rescue. Because he really would. Carriedo had somehow figured out how hard Arthur had fallen for the boy. Bastard.

"Arthur, your problems will not be solved by irrational anger," Francis said calmly, though it was clear he was maybe equally angered by the same events. Antonio had also targeted and hurt Matthew, his own lover as well. Arthur would be surprised if Francis wasn't mad. 

"I swear, I am going to kill that dense bloody wanker," Arthur growled, he raised his fist again to pound the wood again, his rage becoming too much. Before he could, there was hand on his wrist.

"I think we should calm down before we end up wrecking our own priceless cabins, non?" Francis said, his hand holding Arthur's wrist tightly. Said person glared at Francis. Why should he try to stop Arthur from releasing his anger? From releasing all of his pent up frustration? All of that frustration for how much he cared about Alfred, in a way he hadn't felt since years ago before Francis had ended up breaking his heart? How he was so scared about how much he had come to care about him?

Arthur reluctantly let Francis lower his wrist. He instead glared at the window, his thoughts about how the view might look with Alfred at his side still not ceasing. "Does this mean you want to help me?"

"Why mon ami, of course," Francis said, smirking in a way that assured the other he was lusting for revenge too. "He hurt my little Matthieu. While you and I may have our quarrels, my own and Antonio's go back farther, and I cannot allow him to think he would get away with this. I am on your side." 

"Francis....." Arthur said. He hesitated. Should he really? Then again, there were things at stake here. The steps he took now had to be crucial. "I...I can't lose Alfred."

"I already understand Angleterre," Francis reassured. His smile became more gentle, showing proof. "I can tell how much you care. You may think you're good at hiding it, but I can tell. You must also know that Antonio is not one for bloodlust. Do you really think he might actually take your sweet Alfred's life?"

"I don't know. He may not be heartless, but he also doesn't think such things through. He may not even mean to hurt him. As long as Alfred is in his captivity, I don't consider him safe."

 

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

 

___________________________

 

 

"The Captain didn't say anything 'about hurting him right?" 

 

"Shut up. You know how he feels about extra bloodshed."

 

"Ah, nothing. A little torturing wouldn't make him mad."

 

Everything hurt. Alfred felt a searing pain in his head. It was some of the worst pain he felt. It was not a fun experience to wake up to pain. Not to mention the soreness that seared through his body. His back was stiff and his arms were painful and extra sore. The thick smell of sea salt, wood, and what smelled faintly of blood came to his nose. Where was he....?

 

"Besides he's only bait. The more desperate the bait looks, the more it sells right?"

 

"You're sick."

 

"Hahaha...wait is he waking up?"

 

Suddenly there was a rough hand on his chin, pulling him forward. Alfred was yanked awake as his eyes flew open. A headache erupted in his head, making his ears ring and his eyes sting as he was forced to look at the men who had been talking about him. He could only moan at the pain. 

"Shit, he is awake. He's been out for the entire night." The man who had grabbed his chin confirmed. Alfred was confused. Why?

 

.....oh.

 

The man released his chin suddenly, causing Alfred's head to be forced back down. He winced at the pain. He tried to grasp his head, but he was met with only more pain. His hands were tied behind his back to what he could only assume was the mast of the ship he was now on. His fingers felt bent in places they should not go. Were they broken?

"We should go get Captain Carriedo. He'll want to know he's awake." The other man said. Alfred recognized him as the second voice he had heard when waking up. They both had English accents rather than Spanish or any other foreign one. He felt a shiver go down his spine. These men wanted to hurt him, and he had no defense. 

The first man nodded reluctantly, and then both walked away towards the stern of the ship, leaving a confused Alfred behind.

 

The first thing Alfred did was pull at the ropes behind him. He hissed through his teeth when he felt the rope burns, his fingers were twisted horribly, and the reopened burn that would've still been on a healthy road to healing, but was now reawakened to the intensity of when it first harmed him. 

 

Well, he was stuck.

 

Alfred blinked, trying to will his eyes to get used to vision. His glasses were missing, but it was no major inconvenience. He could see fine without corrective lenses, save for far distances. He really had begun to only have a real need for them when he joined the Navy. He was on a ship, obviously. But there was only place he could be. Carriedo's ship.

He felt fear invade his mind. Whatever the hell did they want with him? All he remembered was the part that he was bait, but for what? He was almost useless. No one came back to save what could be considered a pawn. Not to mention how much pain he had already been put through. It was clear pretty much everyone on this ship was more than willing to hurt him. Heck, those two men before had been discussing torturing him just for the fun of it. He was reminded of his first night on Arthur's ship. The only difference being, there was no escape.

Other men worked on the ship, ignoring their captive tied helpless to the mast. It was morning, showing evidence that Alfred had indeed been out for an entire night. It explained the pain that rang through his head. Also, the thickness gathering around the bottom of his skull. Was that dried blood?

 

"Buenos días mi pequeño prisionero!" Called the familiar cause of his pain. Not maybe five minutes after the two men had left, their Spanish captain was walking up to him, looking so cheerful you couldn't tell he was also a dangerous pirate captain holding an innocent man captive. "Did you sleep well?"

Alfred blinked, finding his throat dry. He might be dehydrated too. God, did these people not know the meaning of gentle? "What.." He felt his throat burn a little. Yep, he definitely needed hydration. He gingerly licked his lips and tried again. "Why am I here?" He said faintly, feeling soreness racking his body again.

"Oh, apologies for that. Lovi said you would be confused, and I'm not surprised. Don't worry, it'll become as clear as water soon. "Antonio said. He smiled gently and bent down to better examine his prisoner of sorts. "Looks like my men were extra áspero with you." 

Antonio cupped Alfred's chin, but the American only glared. To be honest, his cheerful nature was unsettling. Didn't he realize the weight of what he was doing?

Antonio frowned a little. "Dios mío, so fierce. I apologize for the inconvenience of your situation, but I'm afraid it's necessary for my little plan." He explained. He let go, but Alfred didn't lose his gaze. Alfred found it somewhat easier to look Antonio in the eye rather than Arthur. Antonio still radiated something that registered as danger, but his eyes were softer, and didn't ring with anything quite like Arthur's would in his opinion.

"What plan?" Alfred asked, his brow furrowing. Antonio only chuckled. It was pure amusement, and almost as if Antonio was very proud of himself about what he would say next.

"Your beloved captain will be so enfurecido when he knows that I have you, and it's just my plan. I'm afraid he's tricked and slipped past me far too often. It's time I finally bend him to my will." Antonio smirked at this. 

Alfred felt confusion. Arthur? But what did that have to do with him? Also how he didn't know what that random Spanish word meant. "I don't...understand. What do you want?" He tried to sound brave, but his own safety and confusion made it hard. He tried anyway. He wasn't going to let Antonio think things would be so easy.

The Spanish captain seemed almost disappointed that Alfred did not catch on so quickly. He continued on nonetheless.  
"You're my bait. I am going to force Arthur to either pay up or watch you die."

 

What?

 

"I'm... I'm bait?" Alfred repeated, fear slipping past his voice. A new wave of fear had indeed washed in after the word "die". A good way to make his mind imagine all sorts of horrible scenarios. Damm it, he was supposed to be brave! 

"Sí!" Antonio confirmed patiently. He patted Arthur patiently on the back as if this were to reassure him of something. "Arthur should know by now I've taken captive the person he holds most dear. Once he finds out your life's on the line, he'll do anything wouldn't he?"

 

Arthur?

 

Arthur would? No, he wouldn't. This was a joke. He should laugh at this. Arthur didn't care about him.....did he? No! You're getting your hopes up, Alfred! "You're talking about someone else, right?" Alfred asked, trying to squash the irrational hope lighting inside him. No, Arthur wouldn't come to save him. It would make no sense.

"No, I mean Arthur of course. You may not know it as well as I do, but it's clear he cares very much for you. I might even be so bold as to say he's in love with you." Antonio said, chuckling. It sounded more of a giggle, friendlier and with no serious sinister thought.

 

Wait.....

 

Arthur?..... In love with him?

 

"That's crazy." Alfred blurted out, not willing to believe it. He couldn't. There was no way. Antonio was spewing lies. Or was just really dumb. Alfred wanted to believe the former. "Arthur doesn't love me. He'd rather have me dead." Doubts rang in his head. But it couldn't be real. Perhaps he had mistaken lust for love?

"Ah, yes. Arthur is a funny compañero, is he not? It may not look like it, but he likes to hide his feelings. There are a lot of people he cares about, but you may never figure it out. I must give credit to Francis for helping me figure it out. He was most helpful at giving it away."

"Francis?"

"Not preocupes, he had nothing to do with your kidnapping. This is entirely my own and Arthur's ordeal. I merely overheard him and Arthur discussing things, and it definitely dropped me a hint." Antonio smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a little breakfast with my Querido Lovi to get back to. I'm sure your dear amor Arthur will come to your rescue soon. How about you wait here like a good old damsel in distress, Sí?"

Alfred thought about protesting, shouting, demanding something, but what? He didn't need to piss off the person who had his life in his hands. He understood very clear how Antonio needed him alive, but his own health was not a guarantee. All he could do was watch the Spanish captain chuckle merrily to himself as he walked away.

 

There was no way Arthur would come to his rescue. He wouldn't show. Arthur didn't care about him. He hardly even let him live all those weeks ago, right? It just didn't make sense. 

He couldn't help but feel little bursts of hope though. He was an optimistic person, normally. So many people couldn't be wrong at the same time, right? He wanted Arthur to come and save him. But in the end, he also wanted to hope Arthur really did love him, that he really would care enough to come to his rescue. 

 

It was false hope though, wasn't it? 

 

 

___________________

 

 

He was untouched by the inhabitants of the ship after that, despite the increasing hunger, stiffness, and thirst. To him, it was almost torturing to go this long without eating. Or anything to drink. Did they even care about the well being of their bait? It was past noon now, the sun high in the sky and burning down on him. He'd have sunburns soon, wouldn't he?

Alfred had tried to access the number of his injuries, but he was obviously not a doctor. He knew that his fingers were broken. Judging by how much pain wracked his limbs, maybe about two or three. There were also rope burns on his wrists, plus bruises and the reopened burn. Oh, and he shouldn't forget the bleeding in his head. 

He didn't want to think about how Arthur would come to save him. He knew he wouldn't, which didn't make things sound great for Alfred's future. There was no way to escape. If Arthur didn't save him, who would? He remembered with a pang of guilt about Matthew. His poor sweet brother. It was his fault he almost died. Perhaps Matthew would tell Francis and they would come for him?

His mind wouldn't quit buzzing though. Why did Antonio have to put that thought in his head? There was no point in hoping like this! It would've been perfect, of course. How he had fallen for Arthur, all of his admiration and arousal and sexual frustration. It would be such a perfect thing for Arthur to have also loved him back the entire time, but what evidence did he have? 

There was that kiss, but that only opened up a whole new door of questions. Did Arthur mean that kiss, or was it just lust? It had to be. He wanted desperately to believe the hints, but he didn't want disappointment either. He didn't know what to think anymore. Every single time he thought he was right, Arthur swooped in and made Alfred rethink everything. He made his world twist and turn. 

Dear god, he sounded so silly inside his head. He wanted so badly for what Antonio said to be true, no matter how unbelievable it was. It scared him how much his heart raced at the idea. How arousal built up at the thought of himself being safe in Arthur's arms. How warm he would feel under his touch, and how great it would feel for him to love him like that...

 

"The Captain didn't authorize this..."

"Yeah, well Lovino said it was fine. If you don't want to, go back to flirting with that chick from Russia, okay?"

Oh no. It was those two men from earlier, accompanied by a new companion. They were back, most, unfortunately. One of them held a kitchen knife in their hands. The look they gave off was unsettling.

"Besides, makes the Captain's plan work its charm. If anything, Carriedo will be grateful." He said. He leaned down and set his hand in Alfred's hair. Alfred rose his head up to glare.

"Hey, little slut. How would your lovely captain feel if we smarten you up a bit? Scare him?" The man taunted. He bent down to Alfred's level, smirking nefariously. His companions looked at each other, one eager to torment, the other apprehensive. Alfred swallowed.

"How would yours feel about disobeying orders?" Alfred countered back, refusing to do what they wanted. He felt some need to be scared of Antonio himself, but men who were not following his orders was a different matter. 

The man growled and pulled his hair. "I wouldn't be so cheeky with us, boy." He raised his knife and smiled. "How about we mark up your face? Your captain will notice his snogging material being damaged."

Alfred hissed through his teeth. He did the only line of defense he could think of, he kicked the man square in the knees. The man shouted angrily, and suddenly the knife came down on his cheek. Alfred yelped at the stinging pain. He felt the blood, and the others were laughing at him.

 

"Quítatelo!" Boomed a voice. Another, taller and burlier man interrupted them. He glared at the man hurting Alfred and yanked him off the other. "Quit horsing around! Kirkland's ship is only yards away!"

Alfred widened his eyes, his first impulse to try to see. Unfortunately, he couldn't see all the way behind him; the mast was in the way. He could see the men shouting orders at each other though. It was easy to put two and two together.  
His heart seemed to start to go a million miles a minute. 

 

Was he really?! Was Arthur really was coming to save him?!

 

Soon enough, as if to further heighten his rising emotions, he once again saw his Spanish captor and his second in command approach.

"Bastardo! You don't happen to have a backup plan when the British cretino pulls another trick, eh?" Lovino asked, following along in Antonio's wake. Antonio only chuckled.

"Don't worry. Arthur showed up, correcto? Things will go, smoothy, trust me amor." Antonio reassured. An excited smirk lit up his face as he stared once more at his captive. "Seems boss was right all along, sí?" He saw the battle of emotions grow on Alfred's face and his smile grew.

To Alfred's immediate irritation, the way he was tied gave him a no good view of the Emerald Rose pulling in next to the Spanish Captain's ship. Alfred tried to look behind him, but the mast was simply too big. Not to mention straining his neck like that made his headache grow to the point where he began to worry whether or not he had a concussion rather than just the familiar headache pain that came from being knocked unconscious by the skull.

After minutes of desperate anticipation, so much so that Alfred felt as if his head would implode, there were more shouts and voices. English accents joined the Spanish, followed by a loud clunk of wood. The entire deck grew quiet, save for scattered whispers, as he heard footsteps. The ever familiar clacking of boots. He felt as if his heart had caught in his throat. His eyes widened.

 

"Hola Arthur!" Antonio said brightly, greeting Arthur like a friend. The evermore dangerous captain glared and folded his arms. He was on Alfred's right, facing Antonio. From where the Spanish captain stood, Alfred had a perfect view of Arthur. He looked furious. Alfred felt shivers go down his spine. Arthur was in the mood where dozens could die at his hands today.

"Carriedo," Arthur said coldly. It was then Alfred realized just how terrifying Arthur was right now. His green eyes shone with no mercy in mind. It was the blood-curdling intimidation that made his enemies fear him, the kind that promised blood will be spilled. It was a side of Arthur Alfred was never faced with, even in the beginning.

"Oh don't be so mean Arthur!" Antonio laughed. He walked closer to Alfred, but the latter didn't so much as spare him a glance. He couldn't take his eyes off Arthur. "We can bargain like Buenos viejos amigos!" 

"I see no reason to call this meeting "friendly"," Arthur replied curtly. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I came here for Alfred, and that's it. I do not intend to play like your little guest."

"Ah of course," Antonio reassured. He straightened up. Then he, ever so casually, pulled out a pistol and pointed it right at Alfred's skull.

"H-hey wa-"

"Silence," Antonio said smoothly, giving a cross between a scowl and a cheerful smirk at Alfred. Alfred shut up immediately. After all, there was a gun to his face.

"If you so much as lay a finger on him, I will make sure your entire crew dies the most painful death possible, carbohydrate freak." Arthur hissed, his anger intensifying if that were at all possible at this point. Alfred felt his heart flutter at it, and that plus the rapid beating of his heart and the very possibility that he may die right this second made him want to vomit. If he had eaten anything today at all anyway.

"Too late for that mi amigo," Antonio said, chuckling. He cocked the hammer back most dramatically. "However, I will assure you that your dear Alfie's life can still be spared. I am sure his most encantador brother has informed you about the terms upon which his release will be discussed, sí?" 

Arthur growled and nodded. "I will only pay if you promise you'll release my crew member." Arthur implored.

"Why, yes! Por supuesto!" Antonio said sadistically. "We can discuss all of the complicated details inside my cabin. Once we confirm payment, your amor will be released, convenido?"

"No tricks?"

"What do you think I would do with the boy? Sell him into sexual slavery?"

"You know what I mean, git."

Antonio only laughed cheerfully and put the gun down. "Yes, no jokes. Right this way now, sí?" He gestured towards his cabin, which sat near the bow, in a similar position to Arthur's.

Arthur nodded, scowling as he did. Alfred could feel himself finally being able to breathe as the two people who had his life in his hands walked away. Lovino scowled at Alfred before following. He still almost had trouble believing Arthur really had cared enough to come. Maybe even that kiss....?

No, but should he really get his hopes up?

There was silence. Alfred shifted uncomfortably. When were they going to release him? If they did would he even be able to walk?

There was a gigantic bang from behind. Alfred felt the entire ship lurch. There was swearing and someone yelled. Alfred craned his neck to see what the hell what happened. There was a scream. Horrified cries. Outrage. What?!

 

"It's that French Bastard! They're attacking!

"They've tricked us!"

"Get the captain!"

There was another cannon going off. More screaming. Weapons being sheathed. Alfred's stomach lept in his throat. 

 

They were attacking each other.

 

Alfred struggled, trying his extra hardest to break the bonds now. He hissed loudly in pain. The ropes had really complicated knots, it was impossible. His fingers twisted around, but there wasn't much his own hands could do when half of his fingers were broken. He was stuck

Alfred was panicking. There were gunshots now. A full fight at sea had broken out. Apparently at some point, Bonnefoy's ship had been following Arthur's. Alfred couldn't just be stuck here!! He'd get shot or something, he had no way to defend himself! Who the fuck fired that cannon?

Alfred heard running. There were footsteps all around him, but this one was heading directly towards him. Oh no, was he going to die now?! Alfred felt as if his heart would implode as he tugged at the ropes behind him.

"Alfred!" The voice screamed. He came into view, his face filled with relief and jovial triumph.

"Mattie!" Alfred screamed in equal relief, so happy to see his brother alive. He pulled at his ropes again, trying desperately to get to his brother, to get out of harm's, death's, way. Matthew bent down behind him.

"Stay still!" Matthew requested. Alfred obeyed. Matthew sheathed a balde and started sawing his binds. "Oh my god- oh god, Alfred! I'm so sorry, you look like a wreck."

"Matthew, you're the one apologizing? I nearly got you killed!" He yelped when he felt a limb being grazed.

"Oh, Jesus, sorry! I was trying to avoid your fingers!" Matthew said in a desperate apology. He gritted his teeth and pulled. Alfred felt the last restraint of rope fall away. Alfred immediately pulled out his hands to examine what he could've only predicted before. His wrists were raw with rope burns, and his broken fingers were slightly swollen and bloody. Alfred had to wonder how he hasn't thrown up yet.

"Alfred!" Matthew said, hugging his brother at long last. "Oh my god, you idiot. I was so worried. It though you might be…"

"Mattie, I'm fine!" Alfred reassured, hugging his brother tightly, feeling like he'd never want to let go again. He couldn't help but smile at the only act of kindness he had been shown all day. It had been quite the tough day for him. "Matthew, we need to get to safety. What's happening?" He asked rapidly, the memory that they were both right in the middle of a deadly fight at sea racing back.

"Francis and Arthur had a plan to save you!" Matthew provided quickly. He swiftly helped his shaken brother to his feet and rummaged in his trousers. At his belt was the cover for his own sword, and an extra, smaller sword. Almost like a cutlass. "Arthur doesn't carry so much money on his ship. There's no way we could've actually paid Carriedo and saved you too. Arthur should be dealing with Carriedo. I'm supposed to get you back to the ship while everyone's busy." He explained. He squeezed Alfred's shoulder and handed him the small blade. "Can you swing a sword?"

"Yes." Alfred said Immediately. He actually had no idea, but he knew he'd only worry Matthew more. "It's best if we head straight for safety." If swinging a sword with a third degree burn was hard, he could only imagine how hard would it be with broken fingers and rope burns to add to it. Why was it always his arms?

Matthew nodded, and broke into a run . Alfred ran after him, grasping the sword as tightly as he could, no matter the pain. What mattered now was getting out of there and out of death's reach as soon as possible. He couldn't die, and there was no way he was going to let Matthew die. Or even come close. Never again.

Alfred was reminded of the night he met Arthur as he followed Matthew, weaving around fights and duels and swearing and screaming and dying. The smell of blood and gunfire began to taint the air, causing Alfred's stomach to seize uncomfortably. He hated this, he hated so much death, but there was nothing he could do.

He heard screaming, quite close to him. He came screeching to a halt and turned around. He saw a familiar person, on their knees, a rather painful looking cut caused by a sword in their shoulder. The most likely assaulter was gaining on him. He realized it was Yao.

"Alfred what the fuck are you doing?" Matthew screamed from somewhere behind him. But he didnt care. He'd feel bad if he let such a important person to him die. He didn't quite like the Chinese man, but he'd get kidnapped again before he'd let someone who had done nothing wrong die on his watch.

He ran, ignoring Matthew's screaming of desperate protest. His hand screamed as well, protesting against the pain and strain and demanding that he released all pressure. He tackled the man before he swung, taking him to the ground. He felt his head bang against the wood, the man on top of him. The sword had fallen haphazardly, stabbing the man in the torso. The man was dead on top of him. He heard a shocked outcry from Yao. However his attention was almost immediately diverted.

"Alfred!! Behind you!" Yao screamed. Alfred tried to turn around, but he had a body in his way. He couldn't.

There was a gunshot. Then footsteps. Someone had stepped in front of him.  
Someone screamed. There was an impact. The bullet had connected. Alfred rolled over and out of the body's way, trying to see what had happened.

He saw crimson. His eyes widened in horror. Whatever, whoever, someone, had tried to shoot him. Only, someone else had saved him. Someone had jumped in front of him. The bullet had hit in his eye rather than hitting Alfred.

 

 

 

And it was Arthur. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7 End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....
> 
> No he's not dead. Calm down.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth finally comes out. Its about time these two confessed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Jesus the way my comments blew up after chapter 7 i'm so sorry. Lol, believe it or not i love Arthur so much he is my favorite character i don't feel any hate when i cuase these characters pain, it was just nessacary.
> 
> Just a little note i did do a bit of reserach way back two months ago when thinking up this story. It is very possible to get shot directly in the eye and be fine afterwards. It all really depends on A)how fast the bullet is B) how far away you are from the shooter C) where the bullet hits in the eye. In this case in the 1600s it is still quite lucky to surrvie such a injury but it is still very possible as long as you receive medical attention almost right after getting shot. You'll most likely lose the eye you got shot with, but you'll survive and can be almost as good as new after a few weeks or so of rest.

________________________

 

 

"He will live, i can tell that is your first question." The intimidating German doctor said upon exiting the room. It was clear he had taken one glance an Alfred ready to fire and assumed what he was about say.

 

"He's okay?!" Alfred said, jumping out of his seat immediately. No, he had been sitting there in Arthur's chair worrying about the very person who uses the chair and whether or no he really would pull through in the end.

"Yes, your captain will be fine as long as we continue to change the bandages and keep the doses of painkiller." Ludwig said, ignoring Alfred's reactions. He didn't seem to be one who cared much for the emotional impact of his job, rather just the job part of it. He seemed radically different than the captain who employed him. "I removed the bullet and stopped the blood flow, but it will still take him many weeks to recover. I'm afraid i had to remove his eye though."

 

Alfred blinked. He felt his insides crawl. He nearly gagged. "His…..you removed his eye?" He asked, horrified.

 

"Ja. The bullet destroyed the outer front of the eye, which means most of the cornea, the pupil and the lens." Ludwig explained. He took off his glasses and put them away in his pocket. "Even if I left it in, he would no longer be able to see through that eye. Without the pupil there is no light reflex and without the lens there wouldn't even be anything to see at all, not to mention no color either. It is for his benefit that i removed it."

"Okay…." Alfred said, feeling his dinner come up. Or what he had tried to eat of it anyways. Not even stress eating could take his mind off of Arthur. Some time later Matthew had tried to ask Alfred to at least try to eat, after all, it was not like Alfred to turn down food. Especially considering he hadn't eaten at all that day anyways. He had ended up disgorging up water earlier.

"He is unconscious as we speak." Ludwig continued. "Because of the drugs and painkiller I gave him, it will take him at least another eight hours before he awakens. It is crucial someone gets me within that hour." Ludwig said. He gave a tired sigh and grabbed the forgotten medical supplies. "I have others on my own ship to attend to. I wish you both the best of luck in recovery."

 

"Yeah….um...thank you so much. You really have no idea how scared I was." Alfred said, laughing nervously as he tried to thank the person who had basically just made sure Arthur lived.

Ludwig gave a small curl of the lips, and it almost seemed as if that was the only smile he was currently capable of giving. "I think I do. Good night Mr Jones."

Alfred tried to laugh, but found the action stuck in his throat. He instead coughed awkwardly as Ludwig headed towards the door. He turned away to stare at the door that lead to Arthur's room. He played no more heed to what was in front of him. Hos thoughts wondered.

 

The last three hours or so had been agony for him. He experienced first hand what it felt like to have someone you dearly loved at near death. He literally had thought for entire minutes that he had lost Arthur. Thankfully, thank sweet Jesus, he hadn't. Apparently, and thank god for it, it was sometimes drilled into the more experienced men that if the captain went down, it was time to pull out of there as quick as possible. It worked much like chess( although Alfred always lost at chess and always preferred checkers), in which if the queen went down, the battle needed to end quickly, except in this instance it was your captain rather than a queen.

The next hour had been painful. Alfred could think of nothing but worry and misery for the person he had once had no idea how to feel for. He didn't care really at all right now. Only that Arthur would live. Only so he wouldn't have to lose him, only so he could see those gorgeous green eyes once again. Maybe even kiss him again. He'd pass that hurdle once he saw Arthur awake and alive again.

 

"Ludwig didn't say anything. Is he going to be okay?" A familiar voice finally said. Oh dear, how long had he been sitting there thinking while there was a random person in the same room? Alfred flinched and turned around. Francis stood there, looking solemn. 

"He….Arthur will be fine." Alfred said. He had hesitated, almost slipping into the familiar habit of calling Arthur his captain. It felt too distant or formal to call Arthur that now. Why was that? He felt his stomach pool at those thoughts. A disturbing memory of that alsame person bleeding on ground appeared, and suddenly he felt whatever was left of his stomach racing up. "I think… i think he has no left eye now."

Francis was silent for a moment. Then He walked forward. He silently pulled up the chair in front of the desk and sat down. "Oui, i imagine such a shot would take out a eye. "He chuckled. "I can already imagine Arthur in a eye patch. What a sight."

Alfred tried to smile, do something that would merit being normal by his standards, but he couldn't. He knew lots of people would be taking this a lot better than he would. He only nodded silently. Besides, he couldn't find himself comfortable saying much of anything to Francis. He barely knew him. It was a little awkward. He was alone in a room with Matthew's lover. To make it more interesting, this was the first time he could properly think of Francis as such. Weird. 

 

"How long have you been in here? Did you eat at all?" Francis suddenly inquired, his voice a little quiet but still held sincerity. He sounded like he would care quite a bit about what Alfred said next. Alfred looked down at his knees. He hadn't even changed yet. He was still in the very same clothes he was kidnapped in. There was blood staining his white shirt and some splattered on his trousers. 

"T-Three hours? I did eat, thanks for asking. Your chef….your kitchen staff is amazing." Alfred couldn't help but say. If only his mother could hear him. It would humor her to know that even when someone very dear to Alfred was injured and unconscious, Alfred still had found some way to comment about food. The thought made him sad. Whatever he did end up forcing down his throat, had tasted good. Even if it was ship food, it was still amongst some of the best he had ever tasted.

"Why of course. French cooking is quite superior. I have tasted some of your own navire cooking and i must say while it is satisfying, it will never compare." Francis said prideful. There was a small smile on his lips now. It was quite a gorgeous smile, but Alfred felt as if nothing could compare whenever he saw Arthur smile genuinely.

Francis cleared his throat and dropped the small humor manor. "While i may be bragging about my country's cooking, i still want to know. You didn't leave Angleterre side at all in the last few hours he has been under, non?"

Alfred swallowed. Why did any of this matter. He nodded again and kept his eyes trained on the floor. It was certainly the cleanest in the entire vessel. Perhaps Arthur himself would have been a bit of a neat freak if it hadn't been for the sheer amount of treasures and possiesens he owned.

 

"So. All suspicions have been confirmed." Francis concluded. Alfred looked up in appalled confusion only to see Francis laughing softly. "I can see why Arthur likes you so much. A soul almost yet untouched by most of the world wants to throw at you in this life. I even take it your a virgin, non?"

Alfred mad a face. This man inquiring about his sex life was strangely more uncomfortable than usual. "Why does any of this matter?" Alfred spoke quietly. 

"Because. I want to know. Maybe give you some advice. Your words are safe within this conversation mon ami, i have known Arthur ever since he was younger than you. I mean only to help him." Francis said. Alfred looked at the Frenchmen. He did seem just a bit older than Arthur even. Matthew always seemed to be into guys that had a noticeable age gap, strangely. It didn't bother Alfred at all, it was just a commentable thing. Matthew did also see a small village girl who made some really great pie. Alfred had missed her pie making skills.

"I…..did you know?" Alfred asked quietly. He had remembered how it had been Francis who had given Antonio the hint. There was no use denying what might happen. He wouldn't stop being so surprised unless the man himself muttered the words though. It was easy to guess Arthur had discussed something about him with Francis. If Alfred needed an answer, Francis was currently his quickest and easiest answer.

"Did i know Arthur was in le' amour with you?" Francis provided. "Oui. I know love when i see it. Even with mon Angleterre, it is not too hard when you've known him for a decade or two. The icing on the cake is when you call him at it and denies and ignores at all cost. It is a rather amusing sight." Francis said, chuckling. "He took a bullet for you. I think that is proof enough that he just simply can't live without you."

Alfred felt his heart in his throat. If he still had his glasses, he would've taken them off now. He couldn't believe it. His heart was beating a thousand miles an hour, his mind whirling like a great storm. What he had wished for weeks, the very person who had invaded his thoughts for a month. He even laid down his life for him. It made his stomach dance uncontrollably. He felt such a rush of emotion.

 

So it was true. 

 

Arthur really did love him.

 

"I-I……" Alfred was quite speechless. No feeling could ever compare to this. "I didnt think…"

"You sound like Mathieu."Francis commented. "I do have to thank you for saving his life, though i may have to doubt whether or not it really was in danger in the first place."

 

"I….wait, what?"

 

Francis chuckled. "Antonio is a funny character. He is quite sadistic but at the same time tries to act caring and kind. He also doesn't own a very bright mind. He'll do anything as long as he believes it is right. Despite his title, he doesn't believe killing an innocent for no reason is right."

Alfred made a face. "He pointed a gun at him! He looked more than ready to kill Mattie!" He protested, the anger kicking in. While it was directed at the fool who had shot Arthur, he also now felt some anger towards Antonio for hurting his brother.

"Antonio can be very bloodthirsty if he thinks what he is doing is right. He would be fully willing to kill you if it meant vengeance on Arthur." Francis said. He seemed to have known the Spanish captain for quite a while. Perhaps even longer than he knew Arthur.

"I thought this was advice." Alfred answered, not at all comfortable about how the subiect had somehow turned into his own death.he swore he was going to have some form of traumatic sickness by the end of the day.

"It was, do not fret mon ami." Francis reassured. He laughed a little, a small hindrance upon the otherwise grim atmosphere. "Or, perhaps i was only coming up with a excuse in order to find out about what you think about Arthur. I see that's it's possible you may have fallen for him as much as he has himself."

Alfred laughed nervously. "Uh….what's the point of this?"

 

"A little slow, i must comment." Francis brushed, insulting him almost just as casually as Arthur himself would. It made Alfred's heart burn to think about how Arthur's voice sounded. A huge part of him was looking forward to hearing it again. "You love him, don't you?"

Was this a trick question? God Alfred, pull yourself together. "Uh…." He felt himself fluster. It was almost embarrassing to answer this question. "Er, well yes. I…..do." Alfred answered quietly. Well, the Frenchman had asked and Alfred really had no idea what Francis would say if he refused to answer. It would be likely made no difference.

"Ah, there it is." Francis smiled. He got up, the conversation having no effect on his current mood, which didn't seem to quite match up with the recent events. "Well i'm sure that was easier than it felt. Now I want no more slacking off you two. I expect you to stop acting like a virgin by Thursday."

 

Welp, there went everything he swallowed in the past three hours. "W-what??"

 

"Calm down, it was a joke."

 

 

___________________________

 

 

 

It was morning now. Alfred didn't sleep. He refused to leave his captain's quarters. He couldn't even shut his eyes without being met with the memory of Arthur being shot in front of him, and himself screaming. He truly had no idea how Arthur coped with being a murderer of hundreds, and seeing so much blood and pain. Alfred himself still couldn't bring himself to willingly kill a person. He knew there was no point in laying down anywhere amd trying to sleep. Yao had come to talk to him. He actually thanked him passionately for saving his life. It made some dormant part of Alfred smile. He hasn't smiled all day. He wished he had thanked Yao for that.

He accepted medical treatment though. It was surreal to have his injuries counted off by a trained doctor, now that the danger was over and there was no immediate threat of death. Francis seemed to have some part of priority when making sure there was trained doctors or surgeons on his ship. There was one hired on Arthur's own ship. Alfred had never talked to him really at all until now. 

 

The doctor, John, didn't seem to like the fact that Alfred refused to leave the room. However, he still did his job quite well and seem slightly sympathetic. John immobilized his fingers and wrapped them up, treated the now angry burn and bandaged it back up, and cleaned the cut on his face.The blood in the back of his head had been cleaned and bandaged as well. He even had painkiller now too. Fun. 

Alfred had tried to swallow what he could of breakfast, once morning came. Allistor came in to check on Arthur, and had now disappeared into the room. He made it a point to stress that he simply needed time alone with him, whether Arthur was awake or not. Alfred had to figure Allistor was somewhat close to the captain and simply let him be.

 

Alfred still sat in Arthur's chair, rather liking the Velvet cushions. He had a brand new pair of glasses now. To add to it, Allistor had given him a sword. A real sword. He merely commented that it would be crucial that he be able to defend himself, lest he may get kidnapped or assaulted again. Alfred agreed, a little excited to finally own a sword again. He would be more excited, maybe even childishly happy, if it hadn't been for the reason why he had it now. If it hadn't been about the cost it had taken to make sure the American was standing alive. Still though, it was cool. 

Alfred stared at the unfinished meal on his plate. He didn't feel much like finishing it. Despite how time had passed, despite all of the assurances that Arthur will live, he still felt worry gnaw at him. Not to mention the rising feeling in his stomach. His butterflies were doing jovial dances of victory, triumphant in the regard that their main obsesion loved Alfred back. His brain could not leave Arthur, no matter how hard he tried. He had no reason to help it anymore.

Arthur had almost gotten killed trying to save Alfred. Arthur really did have some sort of love for him didn't he? Dear God, he sounded like some sort of obsessed teenage girl, happy that their silly crush had noticed him. In his case, he should just be happy to be alive. Happy that Arthur was alive. Instead, his thoughts was swarming with the ideas of Arthur loving him. Arthur really, truly loving him. Loving him just the way Alfred had been wanting for so long. 

 

Alfred poked his fork at the ham-like meat. He missed having eggs in his breakfast. Eggs were very unsafe to carry on a ship and would break easily. No one carried eggs on a ship. They carried chickens, but the eggs were never used to cook. Besides, there was no livestock on a pirate ship. That would be redundant. Breakfast mainly consisted of either porridge or meat, bread, and sometimes a vegetable or fruit. 

 

The door opened, intruding upon Alfred's intense thinking session. Or, perhaps it was just his insides screaming at him. Whatever. Allistor stood for a moment. Then he nodded.  
"Arthur is awake."

 

Alfred jumped up from his chair the instant those words left the other's mouth. He winced only a little when he heard the chair scrape against the wood, or when his plate and utensils clattered a little on impact. That didn't matter. Arthur was awake. The most important man in his life was conscious, alive. Everything would be okay now in his world, so long as he could see Arthur's face again.

"I can see him right??" Alfred said, already heading toward the door. Allistor almost smiled and got out of the way without question. He seemed to understand so quickly.

"Go ahead. I'm sure he'd want to see ya too " he said. That was all Alfred needed. He walked quietly past Allistor, his eyes immediately focusing in on the room.

 

The room was entirely the same. The only difference was the bed now occupied by its owner. Arthur was indeed awake, already sitting up and gingerly clutching the left side of his head. He wore only a simple white shirt, more of his pale skin showing off than Alfred had ever seen. It made his heart swell. Almost half of his left side was covered in bandages, probably there to help heal whatever remained of his left eye now.

 

"S-Should you be doing that?" Alfred blurted awkwardly. Best entry ever, Alfred you complete idiot. He could feel his heart speed up in a hurry as Arthur looked up at him.

"That was quick." Arthur commented. His voice was hoarse, and sounded quite exhausted. It was clear Arthur shouldn't be sitting up but did it anyways. He had also chosen not to give Alfred a greeting. "I remember asking for you only a minute ago."

Alfred's cheeks burned red. Arthur had asked for him….? "I….was already in the room." Alfred said bluntly. He almost didn't want to leave the threshold of the room, but the other part was screaming, demanding that he stay. He decided to just ignore everything and walk forward, also ignoring Arthur's eyes that never left him. Well, one eye.

Arthur sighed and slowly rested his head on the pillows propped up behind him. "What the bloody hell did i do to myself this time?" He asked quietly, his face contorting into a cringe whenever he moved his head. No matter how He tried to ignore it, it seemed he was in a lot of pain. 

Oh, did Alfred really have to be the one to tell him? He knew this conversation was coming, just now that the time was finally here, his stomach had decided to conduct hell on him. "You…..you got shot in the eye." He muttered.

 

There was an awkward silence. And then Arthur finally just sighed. "Well, i suppose I'm quite lucky. Not the worst near death experience i've had." His hand went back to the bandages. He winced at it.

Alfred wanted to wince with him. The way he was taking it sort of amazed Alfred. How could he deal with so much pain? "Doesn't that hurt a lot?"

Arthur snorted, which sounded broken due to his current predicament. "No it feels so bloody fantastic i feel as if i might pop outside for a run." Arthur muttered sarcastically. There was a curl of the lips at Alfred's reaction. "No, i feel like my head is about to explode. Still, it's not like i would be crying over it, i've had to deal with more pain than you can ever imagine."

Alfred didn't want to think of anything worse than getting shot in the eye, so he didn't. Was he stalling? Maybe. "Do you remember anything?"

"You want to ask me why i saved you, don't you?" Arthur said immediately. Alfred turned furiously red and lowered his head. How does he always know? Why had he fallen in love with the most clever and snarky sadist on the planet? "You don't have to be scared to ask it, it's not like i can refuse."

 

"But you can." Alfred argued.

 

"No i can't. You deserve to know." Arthur said with such an air that there was no questioning him. Maybe this was hard for the both of them, Alfred had no idea. He could never read Arthur like he could read Alfred.

Be brave, Alfred. There was nothing to be scared of. He knew now that there was a possibility that Arthur fully returned his feelings. God, he was going insane. "Why….w-why did you save me?"

 

Arthur sighed and muttered something that sounded along the lines of British swear words. "You have no idea. You have no idea how much I've wanted you. That potential rubbish was a lie. I just….i didn't want to kill you….you really were different. Once you were around longer, i realized what really happened to me. It just took me a lot longer to realize it then it should have."

"What?" Alfred asked, though he already knew the answer. His heart was going to explode. He felt as if nothing could ever sour his mood, as long as Arthur was still there. As long as Arthur loved him and he loved him.

 

"I was falling in love with you" Arthur finished. He sighed. For the first time, he was almost vulnerable. Tired, injured, in pain, amd pouring all of his feelings at long last in front of Alfred. It made his heart swirl to know Arthur really did trust him enough, loved him enough, to do this. He wanted to show Arthur that he loved him as much as he did. It mattered no longer that Arthur was dangerous, that he was the most wanted man in the country. He was also so much more. "I didn't want to believe it at first. I've lost so many people, i felt scared to fall in love again. I couldn't help it though. Your a bloody distraction and there wasn't a chance that i could stop thinking about you for more than seconds.

Alfred smiled gently. He didn't want to get so overbearingly happy. They were both way too tired. That could wait. He pulled the chair over and finally sat, as close to Arthur's laying form. He could do this. Everything will be alright. "I think i love you too."

Arthur cocked an eyebrow. "You think? Don't lie to me."

Well. Wasn't like he was even trying anyway. "Um….well, I started… feeling it, it's now like it was right at the beginning, that's weird. I just...couldn't help it! Why are you laughing??" Alfred said childishly, furious red as Arthur began emitting broken chuckles. It looked like it hurt him to do so.

"Bloody hell, you're bloody adorable." It felt weird that Arthur, the most dangerous person to sail the seas, was being affectionate. He was immediately loving it though. 

"I-I…." Alfred didn't know what to say. He was so inexperienced in this field. "I do love you. I guess….i didn't think you would even care though. Not until yesterday." He smiled once again. "That was pretty cool, how you took a bullet for me. I didn't think you would ever come for me."

"Bollocks, of course i did. I couldn't lose you. I didn't want to." Was Arthur blushing? It was one of those moments where he looked vaguely cute, despite his character. He tried to move his head again but he winced. Alfred childishly winced with him and quickly put a hand on his shoulder. His fingers almost tingles with the feeling of touch Arthur. There was suddenly so much he wanted to do with Arthur, but it would all have to wait. "Don't be getting yourself kidnapped again. I don't have another bloody eye to give up for you."

Alfred laughed quietly. "Don't worry, i won't."

There was a silence. Alfred wanted to do something, but should he really? He looked up at Arthur. Those beautiful green eyes, well now it was one eye he supposed. Still, even just the one looked radiant and gorgeous in his opinion. Even now, they we're so wonderful to look at. Even those big eyebrows he had complimented them. And those rosy lips. He wanted so badly to feel them on his own again.

 

"Something you want to say, love?" Arthur said, breaking Alfred out of his trance. " i just poured out my feelings on you and get your still scared to ask me things?"

"C-can i kiss you again!?" Alfred blurted out stupidly. Arthur looked slightly surprised and Alfred nearly felt like he fucked up.

But Arthur only chuckled once again. "Why did that take so long to get out?" He asked, clearly amused. Oh, and there was that smirk. That beautiful smirk that made arousal build up in Alfred.

"It's not….i haven't really….done anything like this….." Alfred muttered embarrassingly. He was admitting to the very same person who had threatened him with rape and confessed his love for him that he was a virgin. Great.

"I assumed as much." Arthur smirked. "I don't bite, unless you want me to of course."

Well, he wasn't helping. "Don't make fun of me!" He snapped childishly. It didn't matter that the thought of Arthur doing that actually only aroused him more.

"Wasn't. So sensitive lad." Arthur said, chortling. He tried to move but only groaned softly. "Damm, i swear one day i will make sure Antonio pays back for my eye." He muttered, scowling at himself as he tried to move. 

"H-here...let me." Alfred said. He reassured himself that this was fine, that there would be plenty more chances to make this perfect, because now they had all of the time in the world. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Arthur's.

 

It felt wonderful. Arthur still taste like tea and sea salt, but now there was a slight taste blood. Alfred ignored that part. There was a hand on his back, pushing him gently closer. Alfred did so. He knew Arthur would be pained to even move and knew he shouldn't make Arthur strain himself for this. It wasn't almost lust dirven like their first one was. Arthur was gentle, seemingly just content with letting Alfred relish the feeling. Relish the feeling of their love. 

Alfred parted, panting. He felt the warmth linger from where lips had been moments ago. Arthur was so close. His green eye burning with affection. He smiled.

 

"Don't leave. You are not allowed to leave his room until I'm through with you." He whispered. It was a order. Alfred met his gaze and almost wanted to laugh again. He knew his heart loved it when Arthur ordered him around like that. He didn't mind at all anymore. 

"Ludwig told me to send for him when you wake up. I shouldn't." Alfred said, slightly hesitant. The last thing he wanted was to get up and leave Arthur's embrace though.

"Your such a innocent boy, love." Arthur snorted. The hand on his back tightened, proving Alfred wasn't going anywhere. "Francis's bloody doctor can go eat a pig. I've had to recover in minutes from a stab wound to the abdomen and this sure as bloody hell won't be killing me."

"Arthur..." Alfred trailed off, no real protest left. After all, he wanted nothing more than to just listen to Arthur and kiss him again.

"If you try to leave, i will break your legs once i'm able to." Arthur said threateningly, though there was no real anger or danger to his words. It was basically his own way of saying "please".

"Good, i've just enough time to make it back to land then." Alfred said, grinning confidently.

"You won't make it ten yards before you drown." Arthur dismissed. "Besides, by then i would've found you and made sure the pain is worse for trying to disobey my orders."

"Would you really wanna hurt me?"

 

"No. Not as long as you do what you're told like a good boy." Arthur said. "Just kiss me again you idiot."

 

"Yes sir." And he did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8 End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm thinking the story will keep going until chapter 12. It's the perfect amount i need to finish telling this story. Also yes i wont finish the story without some smut, dont worry. So ive got four more weeks or so of writing ahead of me.
> 
> After this is done, ima focus a lot on oneshots. I do have a few prompts that are suited to be multi chapter stories i want to work with too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The span of weeks Arthur takes to recover. Alfred and Arthur get closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last week of school was pretty hectic for me, so that should explain why this chapter is a little late. Now that it is summertime, i do have a lot more time on my hands, so maybe i can write these faster now, i don't know.

Arthur without a left eye took some getting used to. During the first week Alfred couldn't help but stare. He was so used to two green eyes, ever dangerous and always calculating his next move. Now the other eye was covered in bandages, never to be seen again. Alfred wondered what it would be like to have Arthur staring at him with an eye patch. 

 

Despite his stubborn as a bull attitude, Arthur was restricted to a bed for at least a week or two. He wasn't even supposed to be moving his head, but he didn't seem to care about that part. Every time Alfred looked in concern, Arthur would only avert his gaze and scoff it off, saying he had felt much worse. Sometimes he would mumble his English swears under his breath whenever he seemed to move or feel pain. Perhaps he did, but Allistor had told him one night that a shot to the eye was actually a lot worse than what he remembered of Arthur's injuries.

Alfred spent a lot of his time with Arthur the following weeks. His broken fingers and therefore almost useless hand excused him from anyone who wondered why he wasn't on work. It actually made him a little queasy to look at his hands, and envision the gorey mess that lay beneath. Talking to Arthur was a nice way to keep his mind off of it all, despite looking at him and his condition caused some sickness as well. 

Alfred still needed some getting used to his new "relationship" with Arthur. His butterflies were undeniably happy that they now had the object of their admiration, but the fact that that person loved him back was still new to him. He wasn't expecting such a person to love him back.

Arthur was definitely an interesting person, even now. He refused to show Alfred any affection unless they were alone in the room, and yet when they were, he never hesitated. Even the perverted comments that made Alfred's stomach do acrobatics. He couldn't help but blush and fluster every time.

It was past noon, and Alfred was going to go see Arthur again. Yes, that was all he had been doing for the past few weeks. Now that he knew, now that he had every excuse to be near Arthur, he could no longer resist temptation. There was also always that gnawing sensation in the back of his head that demanded he always check if Arthur was still okay. He now felt as if his day was incomplete if he didn't see Arthur, or hear his snarky comments. 

He didn't bother knocking, he walked into Arthur's cabin uninvited. After all, the Brit was still confined to his bed. He walked with a bit of a skip to his step, all too happy to see Arthur again. There was that combination of twisting anxiety and joy, which made his heart want to jump out the window. 

He did, however, knock on the door leading to the bedroom. His heart bounced in anticipation, and he was sure he would never get used to this new feeling of being able to see Arthur whenever he wanted now.

"Enter." Came Arthur's reply.

 

Alfred opened the door. Arthur was up, having sat up. The bandages were still there, covering the left side of his face. On his laps beneath the soft silken covers was a wooden box. Alfred had to do a double take before he realized there were eyes in the box's contents.

"Wait, w-what's in there?" Alfred blurted out, coming closer. Arthur looked up, and it made Alfred's heart flutter to see those lips quirk into the ghost of a smile.

"Glass eyes." Arthur said simply. "These bloody bandages come off in two days. I was recommended to fill the gap where my real eye once was. I can't always be expected to wear an eye patch, it's very annoying in some cases." He indicated with a flick of the eye to sit down. "Come sit down, love."

Alfred nodded gently and sat on the other side of the bed. He peered curiously into the box. Most of the pirates he heard about in tales or legends had missing limbs and other body parts, it seemed almost cool to personally know someone who had a physical mark that explained how they so narrowly avoided death. Even though it was Arthur and in this case it was much more than the words "cool" could ever describe.

"So, are they all in different colors?" Alfred asked with interest. 

"Yes. I could develop heterochromia if i desire." Arthur answered. 

Alfred frowned and scooted closer. "I think you should keep them green."

Arthur's lip quirked. "Why's that?"

"Because they look better that way. Even if it will be covered by something half of the time i kinda like the green." Alfred answered. He couldn't imagine Arthur without those green eyes that seemed to glow so luminously and beautifully when Alfred looked at them. Even if the glass eye would be lifeless and would never be able to hold Arthur's emotion,he didn't want to imagine it any other way.

"Mmm. No one's told me that in a long time. They always go for "menagincing" or "demonic". One particularly angry Dutch general even called me Satan in his homeland tongue. How very creative." Arthur commented with the click of the tongue. He found a green glass eye, but it was only dull green. Alfred wondered if any artificial replacement could ever copy the same shade of Arthur's eyes. Probably not, in his opinion. 

"Well it is scary…..but in a good way." Alfred muttered, flushing red. Two weeks was not enough, he needed years to adjust to how Arthur made him feel. Was he really still nervous about how Arthur would react to certain things he said?

Arthur's eye met his gaze. They seemed almost blank, but there was that familiar look, as if he was quietly deducting his next move.  
"In what way?" He asked. 

Alfred hesitated. "Uh, b-because they are? Kind of…. their really pretty actually." Arthur started to chuckle and it only made Alfred blush harder. "What's funny?"

"You." Arthur supplied. He was looking directly at Alfred, his green eye swirling with amusement. Alfred swallowed. "I love how adorable you act sometimes, you're such a kid."

Alfred laughed nervously. "I get that a lot. It annoys people." He admitted. It explained well his lack of friends in the past, even in his childhood. Sometimes Matthew was the only one who wanted to play with him.

"It's hardly something i would consider annoying. It may be rather trying but you must really have met some negligent people in your life." Arthur commented. The box of glass eyes now lay to the side, forgotten by the how of them they both seemed more enamoured by each other.

 

"Heh, just a little lonely childhood." Alfred answered. They seemed to have talked little of their childhoods and more of each other. Alfred found that he loved to listen to Arthur talk, it was the accent that encaptured him. He sounded like a dusty librarian whenever he was caught on talking about something for long, and it was something Alfred had only begun to discover now. The Arthur before always sounded dangerous and mysterious, now Alfred was beginning to get to know another side of Arthur, and he couldn't say he didn't love it. 

"Mmm, you make friends so quickly that i doubt that such is the case." Arthur said. Alfred only blushed profoundly. He still couldn't quite grasp the reason behind Arthur admiring and loving on him like he was kitten when the mere reason so many others wanted him was either his family's money or his looks. He remembered one girl in particular he dated who said he was sweet for volunteering to work with his father's ministry. He had actually felt quite close to her until five days later word caught on she was sleeping with the mayor's son. 

"I do. They just don't stick around for too long." Alfred said, shrugging his shoulders. After all, he had long since made peace with the fact lots of people just basically found him unlikable. 

"I swear once that git Doctor Smith finally lets me back on duty I'm going to make sure you'll feel more special than any of those wankers ever did." Arthur muttered, more to himself than Alfred. The words and their promise made Alfred shiver. 

"Is that a promise?" Alfred teased, grinning.

"Indubitably."

 

_________________________

 

Two days afterward, The bandages were replaced by a green glass eye, which was then covered by a brand new black eye patch. Once the word spread around the ship that their captain now bore a rather terrifying sign of escaped fatality, many had added such to Alfred's teasing. After the fifth inappropriate and very perverted joke Alfred had gotten so annoyed and grossed out to the point where he asked Sheamus if he could work anywhere else other than the sails. If one more person decided it was funny to ask him if he preferred such dominating men in bed, he might as well slip off the boom's foundation's and kill himself. 

It was much easier for him to work down in the ship's interior anyways. Even if it was now just simple chores the rest of the majority's ship crew did, it usually meant he was by himself for the duration. It made him feel that familiar little feeling of faint loneliness, but despite popular belief it didn't hurt him to keep his mouth shut for two hours.

Whenever he wasn't being ordered by a now overworked Sheamus trying to make work stretch out thanks to the number of men taken out of action by the raid on Carredio's own ship, he always ended up visiting Arthur. Every once in awhile he'd end up walking in on him discussing things with Allistor. 

"Didn't the doc tell ya to rest more often?" Alfred wondered out loud while sitting once again the chair next to Arthur's bed. The Brit himself with his nose buried in parchment handed to him moments before by Allistor.

"Yes, but i'll be fine. It won't hurt anyone and i daresay nothing will get done in this ship if i doze off." Arthur scoffed. "Besides i consider it bad enough Allistor is already doing half my work, a headache such as mine's not going to stop me. Besides, I've got a bandage-less head now, I feel that's sufficient."

"What exactly is all that?" Alfred asked, stifling a yawn. He wasn't bored, only tired.

"A letter to a certain company that's main focus is shipment of cargo and supplies for ships of all businesses, even ours. Of course, the daft bastards over there always take convincing when asked to help supply pirates. Thanks to an unplanned raid, lots of valuable supplies ended up overboard."

"Didn't we steal a lot from that Antonio guy?"

"Yes, but they were already on a schedule to stop in many ports in Europe. The loot we ended up acquiring was food and most of their wealth. If I don't do something about it, our ship will start falling apart. I do belvue you remember that there were cannons fired, yes?"

Alfred only shrugged. "I was tied to the mast. I couldn't really even see your ship at all. I heard the bangs though." He had considered the bangs might be cannons and guns, but really, he was only trying to make it out alive. Once Arthur had been shot right in front of him, his mind was only filled with desperate hoping that he would live. 

"Well we have enough to keep off for a week or so, but thanks to the damage that daft spaniard's crew left, I'm going to have to find a place to stop. Lucky Spain so happens to be so close to very convenient supplier. It will only put us some months behind what i planned.

Alfred looked at Arthur with curiosity. "What plan?"

"Before Carriedo decided to show his dense little face, we were planning on simply making one more stop in Spanish territory before making the trip to the Eastern seas. I believe the current Emperor Chongzhen's daughters are being married to the princes of neighboring kingdoms, which means if we get there in time, that leaves much great opportunity for successful raids. I have plans for this money."

Alright, he had no idea who this Emperor guy was, him and his name that sounded like a type of cheese in Alfred's opinion. He was going to guess China. "What do you need more money for?" Alfred continued. It was sure to be an interesting question to ask the thief of millions.

"Trade in China isn't cheap, not to mention I'm sure most of the men i pay blow away all of their shares on drinking and gambling in one night. It's not like i'm some cheapskate anyhow. It takes a lot to keep this crew happy and played, not to mention the trade costs and the ones to keep this ship going. I dont hard my treasure like they do in the stories, that would be ridiculous."

Alfred only nodded. He thought about what would be like to be on the other side of the world. He had never been to Aisa before. The navy was a guarantee to see the world outside of his home, but that didn't mean he'd see all of it. In fact, all he really had seen was the mant parts of Europe. "I've never been to Asia before." Alfred said out loud, childlike imagination taking flight.

"Didn't think you would've." Arthur said, his lips curling into a small smile. "I figure you'll like it there. Lots of colors and things that don't belong anywhere else. It's simply an entirely different world than the West." Arthur said, smiling.

Alfred grinned triedly. "That sounds cool. That'll be a nice first date." He said teasingly.

The British captain smirked. "I would be quite the horrible lover if I made you wait to so long to treat you. You do realize it'll take almost nine months to get from here to the Indies at least? Oh, and i suppose you should add the extra time from the port stops we'll have to make in order to restock and keep the crew from getting crabby, that'll add another month or two."

Alfred only laughed a little. That was quite a long time. It had only taken a mere three months to get from Virginia to nearing Europe. Of course, he never made it to Europe, because days before then, Arthur's crew had attacked and they met for the first time. This voyage plan seemed much longer. "Wouldn't a wedding only take days though?"

"The three princesses are not old enough to marry yet. Convenient for us, a year more of aging and learning is required before they are ready to be married off into an entirely separate kingdom. I only imagine such an act is a response to Japan closing its doors to all trade recently." Arthur explained. Alfred nodded again to show he really was listening. He was, seeing as he could never not pay attention when Arthur was talking. Especially with such a voice that affected Alfred so. 

"Alfred, are you exhausted? Don't think i can't recognize someone hiding yawns." Arthur said suddenly. Alfred looked up to realize Arthur was looking at him with a look of faint concern. Alfred went a little red.

"Er...n-no, well maybe, but i'm fine, just keep taking. It sounds interesting." Alfred laughed nervously, quick to come up with an excuse not to leave. He Didn't want to leave Arthur's presence anymore, not unless it was necessary

Arthur stared right back at hin for a moment. Then he only sighed and muttered something before scooting over to where the other side of the huge bed was empty. "You're such a child aren't you?"

"Wha-"

"Come sit with me. Im sure your roommates won't wonder why you're gone for one night." Arthur said gently. It sounded like an order, but it was gentle and not with the malience Alfred remembered. 

Wait, sleep with Arthur?

"Y-you want me to….sleep with you?" Alfred stuttered, not quite believing what he had heard. No, surely Arthur didn't mean so. He knew he didn't mean…..that quite yet but even just…

"Do you not want to?" Arthur asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"W-well no.." Alfred began, but Arthur only snorted.

"I won't do anything to you, just because i asked you to doesn't mean i want sex. If I tried to shag you now I'm sure my head will cause me to pass out. Don't think I won't forget my promise though, just another week or two. Now, i believe you don't wish leave this room, because i'm still here, correct?"

How did he….? "Y-yeah." Alfred muttered, quite embarrassed. How did Arthur always manage to read his mind like that? And how did he automatically know he was thinking that??

"Well then, don't wait for bloody Queen Elizabeth to get resurrected, are you going to sleep with me or not?" Arthur said sarcastically, smirking wider. 

Alfred sighed and nodded heavily. In what felt like hours to Alfred, he was scooting into the blankets with Arthur. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was going to sleep in the same bed as Arthur. Fucking Arthur. He felt the same rush of giddy happiness and blasting anxiety. 

The blankets were soft and surprisingly silky, Alfred had to wonder where Arthur got them from. Arthur felt warm near him. He prepared to lay down while Arthur confused to read the parchment in his hands. He turned only to smile gently. It was a beautiful smile in his opinion. 

"I'll be joining you shortly, let me just finish signing all of this." He addressed quietly. He moved to gently take off Alfred's glasses for him and set them on the night desk on his side. Alfred blinked and rolled over, trying to get comfy. It felt was unexplainablly good to be in the same bed, Alfred could only imagine how it would feel in the future. He almost felt as if having to go back to sleeping in his small bunk in the cabin would make him feel miserable. He'd think better on that later.

Alfred thought for a moment, staring at the the night desk through his slightly parted eyelids. He almost felt as if he shouldn't trust Arthur enough to fall asleep on his bed next to him, but another part of him felt as if he could never be more safe than next to Arthur. He wanted to hate and love the feeling at the same time. He hesitated. "Hey, Arthur?"

"Yes, love?"

"Good night." He muttered, his cheeks warming slightly once again. He just bid good night to Arthur didn't he? It was a new feeling, he had never fallen asleep next to a lover before. All of the girls he dated considered sharing the same bed a signal of intimacy and never wanted to go that far. Natalya had rather enjoyed cuddling with him, but never in a bed. This was a first for him

He heard a shift in movement, and then he flinched. There was a hand on his head, patting him gently. Arthur leaned down and pecked a kiss in Alfred's blond locks, and it made Alfred's inner parts explode.The very gesture made Alfred want to smile sleepily into the pillows.

 

"Good night, love."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9 End


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur proves to Alfred just how much he's grown to love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah okay! Warning! Guess what this chapter is mostly comprised of? Smut! Smutty smut smut lemon flavored smut. Smut. That means sexual content, so if any of you are not comfortable reading sex or just do not like it in a story, this chapter is acutally skipable, or you can read up to a certain point and then skip the smutty part with no consquenses what so ever. I don't want to ruin antone's day or anything of the sort, so please follow my advice if you're not comfortable eith sex. 
> 
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the chapter. ^^

Alfred pictured what it would be like to be on a ship continually for three months or more. He had done so before, but never in the company of pirates. Or really friends for that matter. He liked to consider people friends, but in the end, they were never someone he could talk to about internal conundrums or put it simply, personal matters. It was what made him miss Matthew terribly during his first months away from the colonies. Matthew had always been his person to run to, and not being able to see him every day like he used to make him feel more lonely than usual. 

There was that childlike excitement in him that looked forward to seeing England for the first time. Previously, he had thought of such with the Navy, thinking of maybe one-day meeting royalty, or to put it simply, he had naively thought he would be visiting under the pretense of heroic deeds. Now, that was impossible. He was coming to England under the guise of the crowd, under the protection of criminals. Still, he had imagined what he could about Europe from the stories. Crowded with people, surrounded by buildings that were centuries old. He had only seen coastal cities so far, and he couldn't help but dream up what the huge municipalities of Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Lisbon, or London would look like. 

He spent more time in the kitchens now. He took many of the daily chores situated in down the kitchens as he could now. It meant he could work with Kiku and Yao rather than alone in the hallways. This tactic made the time he couldn't spend with Arthur more bearable. He felt more welcome than ever amongst them anyhow. Yao seemed to really warm up to Alfred ever since he saved his life. (Except when Alfred tried to playfully milk it up for all its worth, then, in that case, Yao basically told him to shut it.)

He'd been having more dreams about Arthur lately. All they had done was kissing and yet whenever he'd lay down to sleep that night his dreams were a lot…..more. After that morning he woke up with Arthur next to him, warm and soft breathing in his ear, his thoughts had gotten worse. He didn't really even know if this was okay. Should he tell Arthur? After all, it was only a result of the anticipation of what he had promised.

 

He was rather distracted today. He wondering whether or not he should feel the same as always when Sheamus once again gave him kitchen duty. The last thing he could want today was being teased once again about his questionable relationship with Arthur, even if was amongst the company of friends. His mind wasn't there on the reality around him. Rather, it was on his dreams once again. The difference was at least doing chores by himself meant he didn't have to pretend everything was alright when it wasn't, but he was overreacting and being a child, he was sure of it.

He had managed to improve his mood during the day, however. Yao had decided to try and teach Alfred how to make dumplings, the kind that was traditional in his homeland. Surprisingly, Yao was patient and had that sort of mother-like attention while helping Alfred achieve the task. It was almost like Yao had figured out Alfred's mood and tried to fix it. 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about it all though. He wanted to be with Arthur right then if it weren't for his responsibilities and how pirates were not afraid to hurt those who disobeyed. He knew well that Arthur had work too, but he almost didn't want to care. Now that they were lovers, he couldn't help it. He didn't want to go today without seeing him and that smirk, and that god awfully attractive voice, and his perverted remarks…..

"Ai-ya! You almost split the dough again!" Yao scolded, obviously now annoyed. He grabbed Alfred's hand with his smaller and skinnier one and led away from the assembled dough and ingredients. Alfred's cheeks went red and he opened his mouth to mutter an apology until Yao stopped him. "It is fine. It is the third and final batch, I can finish these myself." He shooed Alfred away from the unfinished dumplings. 

"Um, ya' sure?" Alfred asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, now get away before you cause more trouble. You are much too much like Yong Soo and Mei, they also mess." Yao scolded lightly. 

"I'm not that bad!" Alfred defended in his usual childish protest. "I can make pie!"

"Simple western dish." Yao dismissed easily. He raised a black eyebrow. "Such a skill is no use in my country."

"Don't you guys have like pie and cake and stuff?" Alfred asked sheepishly, trying to lick away the small cut he had acquired earlier from an unfortunate encounter with the knife. Surely China had all of those cool desserts and stuff? It would surely be so boring if they didn't.

"Not the kind you Englishmen create. The eastern delclieses are vastly different." Yao said lightly. He finished enraging the ingredients in the dough in a way Alfred apparently could not achieve and prepared them all for the open oven. "China prides itself in have many different exotic desserts you white men cannot match."

Alfred, needless to say, was a little confused. "You lost me."

Yao simply rolled his eyes. "Of course I did." It seemed to him that trying to educate Alfred in his culture was most likely a lost cause. 

"Er, Alfred?"

Alfred turned around, surprised. It was nearly nightfall, who could possibly want his attention now? He turned to see like there, looking slightly nervous.

"What's up?" Alfred asked, slightly confused once more.

Kiku only nodded and shook his head. "I aporogize. The captain wants you."

Alfred felt his heart skip a beat. Was that Norma? Yep. He had started to slowly lose his sanity every since he met Arthur, that was normal. He didn't care at all anymore now though. "Where is he?" He asked for context

"In his cabin, as arways. He has just finished proting our route into port tomorrow." Kiku said. "I can herp my brother finish, you may go up now. I am sure you shouldn't keep Arthur-sama waiting."

Alfred nodded, having no idea what Kiku's version of his name meant. He also had started calling him "Alfred-san", which according to Yao, meant respect or something? Perhaps "sama" meant quite the same thing, because to Alfred that sounded the same. All foreign languages sounded the same to him on that account actually. 

He felt his mind immediately go to what Arthur could possibly want as he left the kitchens. He felt his heart flutter. His curiosity always wondered when exactly Arthur did gain. Feelings for him. Perhaps his developed right on the spot, when they met. It did sound a little puzzling to him, considering that was the same night he had threatened to kill him almost three times and also threatened to sexually assault him and then let his crew do the same horrid thing. Then again, he had said….. Oh dear, Alfred was going to go insane. 

It was nearly nightfall. The sun was now on the brink of disappearing behind the horizon, the moon slowly rising to take its place. Alfred had always been fascinated by the stars and overall just nighttime in general. To him, the blue sky of day just seemed so empty. In a way, being at sea was a perk to this. Sailing relied heavily on the aid of stars in order to figure where one was going. His love of the blinking little lights benefited him. He knew exactly where Cassiopeia and Pisces and Orion and of course, the classic Big Dipper were.

The deck was empty as always during this hour, and the nighttime breeze tanged with sea salt invaded his lungs. Alfred had long since gotten used to the smell. It was his life now. And nowadays, he knew he'd never leave. He made his way across the wooden vessel, staring absentmindedly at the sails. There was no one up there. The men who worked on the sails seemed to be more perverted than most in Alfred's opinion. They loved to tease and shout dirty jokes from up above.

He knocked twice on Arthur's door, always the brightest and most carefully polished door on the ship. It stood no question that this was the Captain's quarters. The familiar velvety tone of Arthur's answer came, and Alfred slowly walked in.

 

"You certainly took your time." The owner of the velvet tone said. Alfred turned to smile sheepishly at the Captain sitting almost lazily behind his desk, almost perfectly portraying the sight of a lion lounging around in its den. Perhaps a lion wouldn't be the best comparison for Arthur, however. A more lonesome and fearsome predator like a tiger or perhaps a winged beast would do. 

"Heh, sorry. I was all the way down in the kitchens when you sent for me. Fours flights of stairs ya' know." Alfred said, smiling lightly at the sight of his lover. 

"Oh I'm sure you're simply exhausted," Arthur said snarkily, smiling slightly. And then there an almost evil aura to his smirk. Alfred nearly swallowed at the sudden change. "Hopefully not too much, you'll ruin my plans."

Alfred tilted his head in slight confusion. Okay, what? What he could he possibly mean? "Er, what?" Alfred said before he could stop himself.

Arthur chuckled, clearly amused. "So innocent, love." He muttered. His smirk grew wider. "I didn't imagine I'd ever fall so deeply in love with such an innocent little thing."

Oh…..

He meant……

Alfred swallowed. His stomach immediately started to pool with what could frankly be called arousal. Oh. Tonight was that night, wasn't it? Alfred felt his mind start to panic and wondered if he were truly ready for this. Then again, he knew that there was no one else in the world he would want it with than Arthur. No one else had ever affected Alfred like this. No one else had ever loved him as much as this.

 

Alfred hesitated. He did that a lot. This was going to be a new experience. Really new. "You want to….?" He felt the arousal pool at the unsaid word.

Arthur smiled mischievously. "Yes, I would love to have sex with you right now Alfred." He answered, his tongue licking his lips slowly on the words. It sent a shiver down Alfred's spine.

Alfred dared to step closer. Arthur smiled and got up gently from his desk. There was a soft noise as the Brit took off his hat, revealing his smooth golden locks. Those emerald eyes came to rest on Alfred and said person faltered. 

"Don't worry, love. I won't do anything to you that you don't want. Tonight is simply about you and you only." Arthur reassured. Suddenly his hands were on Alfred's wrists, and they snaked up his shoulders. Soon, there were lips on Alfred's once again.

And Alfred melted. Arthur made his presence known as quickly as possible, making the intimate gesture quite engaging. There was a bite on his lower lip, a clear request, or perhaps at this point, it was a demand. Alfred didn't find himself caring, he let Arthur plunge his tongue greedily into his mouth. It explored its new territory, and Arthur made it no question that he was the one in charge tonight, as always.

 

There was a trail of saliva concert their mouths when Arthur broke, Alfred huffed lightly, short on air. He would never gain it back now, no, he was definitely too out of breath. He could thank Arthur for that. Arthur lowered, one fair-skinned hand staying put on his shoulder, another beginning to wander downwards. Arthur's skin showed no evidence of a life of piracy. They were pale and smooth like they had never even seen the sun, freckles only lightly dusting wherever they may please. 

Arthur had started to attack the American's neck now, biting and sucking wherever he pleased. It was beginning to be Alfred's undoing. He squirmed slightly, and then he realized Arthur had somehow cornered him into a wall. Alfred almost said something, in his brilliant habit of doing so, but then Arthur seemed to take that moment to dig into Alfred's neck, sucking loudly. Alfred instead let out a small whine. Arthur chuckled slightly.

Then Alfred let out another high pitched squeal at Arthur's next movement. Why had Arthur's next impulse been his hair?? It just so happened one of his long delicate fingers brushed the little stubborn lock of hair that always managed to defy gravity. Arthur stopped. 

"Oh, how curious," Arthur commented, amused. He lifted his head up from Alfred's now littered neck just enough to look at where his other hand was. Alfred screwed his eyes shut and somehow his hand found Arthur's body and wrapped itself around said area. Oh, this was embarrassing. Of course, Arthur had to discover that, didn't he? Arthur gave a mischievous smirk. "I was wondering if that little hair of yours was sensitive." He suddenly leaned in and enveloped the cowlick in his mouth. The hot cavern around such a sensitive area caused Alfred to not be able to stop himself, and he let out a moan full of pleasure, his hands tightening their holds on Arthur's shirt.

"Unnnhh! God- please!" Alfred stuttered. A hand had managed to sneak down to his lower back, and it grasped firmly. Alfred almost arched his back in the new found ecstasy. Arthur paused, and then lowered, letting go of his hold above. He looked almost concerned behind all of that lust.

"Too much? We can stop." Arthur whispered, the hand at his arse faltered. Alfred widened his eyes, almost desperate to keep this going. He could feel it all going down to his erection, he knew to stop now was going to be murder on him.

"N-no. Keep going, please." Alfred muttered, his hands tightening further. It could be considered childish if it weren't for the sinful actions they were currently in the middle of carrying out.

Arthur curled his lips upward in an agreeing gesture, and his hands squeezed on Alfred's arse none too gently. He whined at it, almost pressing into it. This was beginning to dive head first into territory he had never even touched before. Alfred was both terrified and immensely pleased.

"Let's move this to the bed then, shall we?" Arthur murmured, letting go of Alfred gently. Alfred managed a short nod in response. A hand refused to leave the company of Arthur's own, somehow smaller hand, and they were soon reaching for the door of Arthur's sleeping quarters. Barely even waiting for the door to shut behind them, a pair of hands flew to the collar of his shirt, unbuttoning them quickly. Alfred squeaked in an embarrassing tone, his own hands found Arthur's. 

"Stop it, just let me take over. I promise I'll go slow." Arthur said, barely above a whisper. Alfred hesitated slightly, wondering if letting himself be under the complete mercy of the captain was a good idea. He didn't care. He didn't dare think of what to say to stop, he wanted nothing more than to continue. His hands found themselves back on Arthur's waist. 

Arthur's eyes glinted approvingly, and the Briton began to make his way down Alfred's shirt, unbuttoning as he went. Soon Alfred's tanned chest was exposed, toned with small muscles from his low-class childhood.

Arthur whistled lowly in appreciation. "Beautiful." He whispered. His hand glided down Alfred's chest. It stopped at his stomach, poking it lightly. "You've got a bit of fat on you, don't you?" He teased.

Blood ran to Alfred's face. He never liked it when someone poked fun at his obsession with food, even though this was Arthur. "I-i'm not fat…" Alfred said weakly, leaning into Arthur's warm touch anyways. Arthur only smiled gently.

"You're not, love. In fact, it's cute." He said, beginning to kiss Alfred's neck once again. A hand coasted over the pink dots that adorned his upper chest, and Alfred let out a moan. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could barely make out Arthur smirking yet again as the hand pinched his nipple. Oh, this was new. And Alfred didn't want Arthur to stop, never.

"Too much clothing. Let's move this along." Arthur growled softly. Arthur moved to find the buckle to Alfred's belt. He had found it in an instant, quickly unbuckling it and removing it from Alfred's waist. Alfred did nothing but let him. 

Within less than a minute, he was shirtless and Alfred was leading him into the bed, all the while attacking and sucking his neck with his mouth and getting his trousers loosened. Soon, the back of his knees hit the covers.  
Arthur looked up expectantly as if to ask him silently whether or not this pace was okay. Alfred nodded needily, and Arthur pushed him down onto the covers, his pants being pulled off as they went.

Alfred realized he only had his undergarments to cover him now, and that he was almost naked in front of him. Arthur smiled, seeming to be admiring Alfred's legs while his hands worked on his own clothes. Soon, his shirt and waistcoat were off, exposing his pale chest for Alfred's eyes. The sight was glorious in Alfred, opinion, and he couldn't help but stare. Arthur laughed softly as he joined his lover on the bed.

"Like what you see, poppet?" Arthur practically purred, smug at the clear look of awe on Alfred's face. He snickered, bending down to nip at Alfred's nipples once again, now growing rosier at the amount of attention they were receiving. Alfred moan quietly, his hands finding Arthur's and entangling with them.

Arthur began to slowly drag his tongue across them, seeming to highly enjoy the high pitched moans he was rewarded with. Alfred admittedly had no idea how to feel. This was all so new to him, it was embarrassing how quickly he was losing it. He could feel the hardness developing in his lower areas, and it was a new feeling that felt purely blissful. Should he really just be sitting back and letting Arthur do all the work to pleasure him?

"Don't worry, love. Just relax. Your pleasure comes first. I want your first time to be as perfect as possible." Arthur whispered softly, reading what was on his mind as always. Was Alfred really just that readable? He almost forgot how to think and his train of thought certainly derailed as Arthur bit almost harshly on Alfred's nipple. He gave a high pitched whine and his nails dug into the back of Arthur' hands. Arthur took this as a sign and pulled with his teeth, enabling Alfred to only squeal and moan more.

Arthur continued on like this, moving on to the left one as soon as the right one was a satisfying shade of red. Alfred felt like he was being driven insane. He was starting to feel so full and hot, and all of a sudden he felt every single touch and brush of the finger on his body, and every time it made him long for more. 

Arthur finally pulled up for a minute, admiring his work. Thanks to him, Alfred had been reduced to a shivering puddle of pleasure and sexual turmoil, and it was easy to tell how much Arthur was enjoying himself. His hands wandered, reaching down at the waistband of Alfred's final piece of clothing. Then he seemed to pause.

"Would you like me to take the eyepatch off, love?" Arthur asked, tone serious yet playfulness sneaking in. Alfred thought for a moment, trying to force his mind to think after all of that. The eyepatch didn't bother him, despite how so many others found it so intimidating. Still, it might be creepy even for the glass eye to be staring at him, seeing as it would be unmoving and completely devoid of emotion, not to mention it may fall out during it all.

"N-no, keep it on," Alfred said, barely being able to even think enough to form a complete sentence. He didn't know how much more he could take before he lost it. Would it be embarrassing if he came too early, or was Arthur only expecting it? Arthur complied, but he leaned forward and took off Alfred's glasses, folding them and putting them on the nightstand. Alfred mumbled a small thank you, glad someone had remembered those. He didn't want a second broken pair of specs.

Arthur gave a gentle smile and resumed his movements. He once again grabbed the waistband of Alfred's undergarments. "Hold yourself up please," Arthur asked, and Alfred, compiled, trying his best to help Arthur out. The whole idea that he was about to be completely naked and for display upon Arthur leisure was surreal to him. It filled him with excitement, the kind that slowly fed his arousal. 

 

Arthur finally pulled them off, leaving Alfred completely exposed. He paused, drinking his flustered and needy lover, naked on his bed. He smiled and put a hand on his inner thigh, beginning to stroke it there. "Such long legs…." He commented, practically admiring them. Alfred moaned quietly at the touch, so unbearably close to his erection if only he would move his hand just a little bit upwards…. "And you're so hard already, am I that perfect? He teased, and then he wrapped his hand around Alfred's leaking cock.

 

Alfred's work exploded with bliss. "P-please…." He began, not sure how to put his plea into words. After all, he was so inexperienced. 

"Is there something you want? You'll have to speak up, dearest." Arthur said teasingly, his hand stationary against Alfred's cock. It felt amazing, but it didn't feel like enough. He needed that hand to move, damm it.

"M-move….move your h-hand….A-Arthur…" He realized he was practically begging at this point, but he couldn't find it himself to care. He just wanted Arthur to keep going, bring him to his high….

"Only for you, Alfred." Arthur chuckled. He bent down and began to stroke the steadily hardening erection, cupping the balls and expertly touching all the right places. "You're quite big love, I'd have to have you take me soon. I bet you'll be great at topping." He leaned down and opened his mouth, moving to lick a long stripe up Alfred's cock. Alfred himself shivered and moaned, the new feeling on his cock feeling sp indescribably amazing. Then Arthur enveloped the whole thing in his mouth, taking in a considerable amount and stopping to suck.

"A-Arthur….!" Alfred began to moan continuously. He never imagined this would feel so good. Oh god, that was Arthur's tongue, going up and down on his shaft, and that was Arthur, gently stroking his thighs in between his legs as he began to bob his head. Alfred couldn't help but not control himself as he got louder. 

Arthur opened his one eye, looking at Alfred losing it through those long eyelashes of his. The sight was yet another one of the new things Alfred was experiencing, and it was yet another to be added to the list of amazing things. Arthur closed his eyes and pulled himself off, relaxing Alfred's cock back into the cold air. The loss of feeling made Alfred mourn and he unconsciously jutted his hips in the air, trying to regain the lost feeling. Arthur only chuckled as he wiped his mouth.

"Sorry, love. I'm not done yet, don't worry." He patted Alfred's thigh and leaned over his body, reaching for the drawer in the night desk sitting next to the bed. He pulled it open and pulled out a small jar, containing some sort of oil. Alfred watched, feeling the unbearable loss of friction in his arse. He was unconsciously rubbing himself on the sheets, he knew, but he was getting so desperate. He wanted Arthur so badly now.

Arthur noticed him staring at his movements. "This is a jar of oil, I'm going to use it to slick my fingers up so I can prepare you." He explained gently. He placed the jar next to him on the blankets. "I'm going to help you onto your stomach alright? It's best if we do this for your first time it'll hurt less."

"W-will it hurt?" Alfred asked, an effort to speak. That was his biggest fear about having sex for the first time, but he knew that would stop him. 

"Yes, it will I'm afraid. Don't worry, it'll get a lot better." Arthur said soothingly. He lowered Alfred's legs from where they were at around him and moved to help Alfred situate himself into a new position laying on his stomach. Alfred let him, glad Arthur was understanding and making this as comfortable as possible. He had been scared Arthur wouldn't be willing to do such a thing at first when this love first began weeks ago, but he now knew that was only foolish thinking.

Arthur guided him to where his back was facing him, leading one of his pillows from the headboard to sit underneath his lover, directly under his waist. Alfred got comfortable, laying his head on the pillows and preparing for the main course. 

"You're so adorable and gorgeous, love. I can't wait to claim you as mine." Arthur whispered, admiring the view he had of his lover. He situated himself in between Alfred's legs and grabbed the jar of oil, dipping his fingers in it. He rubbed a generous amount on his fingers. Alfred watched this out of the corner of his at, his head laying on his side. He was burning with the anticipation, knowing exactly what Arthur was about to do with him. He didn't know if he was ready, but he knew he wanted Arthur, and that was all he needed. 

"I'm going to stick a few fingers in to prepare you, alright?" Arthur informed him, being approving by a small nod of Alfred's head against the pillows. He lowered his hands and used the other, unlubed one to spread Alfred out for him. Alfred got the hint and spread his legs out a little, excited and nervous about what Arthur was doing above him.

The first finger circled around his hole, as if in warning, before slowing pushing in. "Haaannnhh….." Alfred moaned, his world filling with pleasure. It hurt, quite a bit, and he could feel every inch and centimeters of Arthur's digit as it poked its way into the gasping American. 

Arthur muttered soothing words encouraging as his finger dug its way slowly into Alfred, stopping to pull itself out before going back in, opening and loosening Alfred up. Alfred's moans and high pitched whines got louder as a second finger was added, Arthur now beginning to scissor Alfred. It felt so good, Alfred couldn't help but push himself back into the fingers in response, rubbing his aching and hard cock against the pillow underneath. He could feel it now, he was so close, so unbearably close.

Arthur had three fingers now, thrusting them in and out in his preparation for the main event. Alfred began to shout his sexual ecstasy, not caring or even processing that others on the ship might hear him. He moaned out Arthur's name as the dominating Britain continued until he deemed Alfred to be ready and pulled his fingers back out.

Alfred moaned at the loss of feeling, feeling so empty now. "A-Arthur….i n-need you…." He moaned, his hands hugging the pillows in front of him and stuffing his face into them, trying to bear the bursts of pleasure he felt. 

"I know love, I'm working on it. Just wait for a little." Alfred heard movements, which he assumed was Arthur opening the once again. He heard a rustle of clothing, and he turned just in time to see Arthur pulling off his belt, shrugging down his trousers and shoes as well. Soon, Arthur was also shedding the unbuttoned shirt, completely naked. Alfred's eyes fell on the bludging red erection in between Arthur's legs. He hadn't expected Arthur to be so....big.

Arthur saw where Alfred was looking and chuckled. He grabbed the jar of oil and applied a good amount on his fingers and then his cock, slicking it up. After that, he let it fall with the forgotten clothes and grabbed Alfred's hips.

"This will hurt, poppet. Brace yourself, I'm going to take this slow " Arthur said in warning, lifting himself up. Alfred did indeed brace himself, the anticipation of having Arthur inside him driving him insane. Arthur tightened his hands around Alfred and slowly lowered himself into Alfred's arse.

Alfred's world exploded with feeling. He nearly screamed, such noises muffled by the pillows. It hurt a lot more, Arthur's cock being so much bigger than a few fingers. He felt like he was being ripped in two. Arthur pushed himself in, going slow as he promised. Alfred shifted, his pain slowly being replaced by pleasure. Oh god, it felt so good, that was Arthur, Arthur was inside of him.

Arthur bent down and rubbed Alfred's back, comforting him in what he knew was first time pain and pleasure. "I'm going to move now, alright?" He whispered, his breath catching in Alfred's ear. Alfred couldn't think straight to give an answer, but Arthur seemed to take the hint and prepared himself to move.

He slowly lifted himself until only the tip was inside Alfred's hole, and then began to push himself back in, going at a slightly faster pace. Alfred moaned his approval, moving his hips slightly to meet Arthur's. Arthur began to move, slowly adopting a pace and beginning to thrust into Alfred.

"A-Arthur..!" Alfred shouted, feeling so much pleasure, he thought he might be seeing white now. He knew he was close, so close to release. His cock was so hard, he just needed Arthur to keep going…

"I love it when you say my name," Arthur commented, smirking as he thrust into Alfred. Alfred cared not, continuing to moan Arthur's name and begging him to keep going. Arthur did so until Alfred gave a strangled cry and arched his back, this particular thrust hitting that special sweet spot that somehow made everything feel so much better. Arthur continued to thrust, now aiming directly for the sweet spot until Alfred was nothing but a melting mess.

"A-Arthur! I feel….." He couldn't finish.

Arthur smirked, the sight so arousing, hanging over him and dominating. "How do you feel?"

"L-like...l-l-like I m-might release…" 

"That's a good thing, love," Arthur answered, leaning down and kissing the tips of Alfred's ears. He gave one last big thurst into Alfred's prostate. Alfred screamed his loudest yet, seeing white. He screamed as he finally came, hot, white liquid shooting out underneath him and onto the pillow. Arthur continued to thrust, riding out Alfred's high until he himself came, pushing in and letting it all shoot inside Alfred's hole.

Both men sat there, panting. Alfred felt so tired, after all the pure bliss. That was the best thing he had ever felt in his life, he didn't know how he had lived without it. He felt so exhausted, soreness gathering in his arse. He moaned quietly as Arthur got up and slowly pulled himself out of Alfred, surveying his work as cum began to pull out and onto the bed sheets.

Arthur laid down beside Alfred, waiting for him to recover. "How do you feel, Alfred?" He asked, his voice right next to Alfred's ear. It was that same time he had always dreamed about, velvety and, oh, so perfect.

"T-Tired…." Alfred mumbled into the pillow. He thought after a moment. Then, "and so…..good….that w-was amazing." 

Arthur considered him for a moment. "Good, I'm glad you enjoyed it. You have no idea how long I've wanted this." He said.

Alfred smiled tiredly and rolled on his back, looking at Arthur. "I think I might." He said, enjoying the way Arthur smiled at him. 

"Oh hush, I fancy sleep now." Arthur shushed. He sat up swiftly to remove the pillow out from Alfred's hips. He threw it on the floor, seeing as it was covered in Alfred's seed and unusable now. Arthur then grabbed the covers and draped then over his lover, laying down next to him to cuddle. Alfred got comfortable, content to lay next to his lover after making love to each other. After all, he was Arthur's now, and Arthur was his.

"Next time, I'll take you facing the front," Arthur whispered, wrapping his arms around Alfred, settling in for sleep. Alfred gave no indication that he heard, burying his head into Arthur's chest. Arthur was warm, and after the throngs of sex, his heartbeat was steady and almost comforting to hear.

"A-Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"I-I….i love you."

Arthur paused, almost freezing against Alfred. Alfred did realize it must of have been a long time since Arthur had been the receiver of those words, or whispered them to someone else. Should he really of said those words?

Arthur pressed a kiss in Alfred's locks, smiling. "I love you too. Now go to sleep."

 

 

Chapter 10 End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that good sex from the mind of a virgin? I hope I'm not posting shitty sexual content, that's just a but embarrassing. This is also the first time ive ever posted smut online, so hey! Dont judge me too harshly, lol. 
> 
> Chapters 11 and 12 are going to be the last two, and then Emerlad Rose will be offically finished. Chapter 12 will be sort of short, considering its only an Epliouge. I may just go ahead and post Chapter 11 and 12 together. I'll see what happens. I already have a good idea to work on for my next multi chaptered story, I'm really excited for it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simple fluff to wrap up the story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to wrap this up quick cuz I'm my way to Wisconsin as we speak. Nice long road trip. Therefore, this chapter isn't as long as i would've like it to be, but I'm still satisfied.

 

_____________________

 

Arthur couldn't seem to find Alfred anywhere.

It was a small port town, there wasn't a chance his lover couldn't have gotten far. However, he had looked everywhere he had been sure Alfred would be. That's not to say he knew the town top to bottom, because he didn't. He wasn't that good. He really had been just wandering the streets. To be frank, this was the first in quite a long time that Arthur had visited this town, the streets were practically foreign to him.

That didn't mean he couldn't immediately adapt to his new surroundings. Sooner or later, it began to become drilled into his mind what buildings were most likely to be where, and what would lay in between. Small port towns like these always built small inns, shops, and even pubs closer to the decks, right where tired and starving sailors could see them. Shops that sold things that catered more to town citizens were always further in, the buildings older and less work put into them. The rest in between were all kinds of things, houses, and personal property, domain that the town officials owned and so on.

He had been searching for hours. Arthur had decided to treat his new lover, or simply, perhaps the better phrase was "spoil him rotten". He had felt almost guilty that the last time Alfred had stepped foot on land, he had been kidnapped. The initial fix was to not let him anywhere out of his sight, of course, but then Arthur had also wanted to make him happy. It made his day to see that smile, especially when he was the cause of it.

Then, around noon, Arthur had been asked by his first mate about the specifications of the supplies and materials they needed, meaning Arthur had to turn his attention away from Alfred for a small amount of time. The second he was done with this small errand, Alfred was gone.

Arthur did immediately panic until he remembered there was no way any of his closest enemies could even know where he was. Alfred should be safe, at least. Or, he wouldn't be, if something else got him. Street thieves, human trafficking, Francis-

No. Arthur, you're getting ahead of yourself. None of that could actually happen to him. He was still in the city, he probably just saw another one of those cheap stables shops and got distracted. That was all, he just had to track him down. If there was anyone who had hurt Alfred, however, it simply meant he would have to kill someone today, that was all.

 

While planning a random person's gruesome murder, he came upon the place he had started. It was directly where he left Alfred, requesting for him to stay put while he and Allistor went to the main company building in which their negotiations would take place. It was right next to a small food shop and a post office. The shop was the first place he checked. It was very predictable for Alfred to have gone inside there, but he wasn't in there, nor was he now.

Arthur folded his arms in contempt careful to hide how frustrated he actually was. He took a glance at the post office, the wind blowing his hair in his face as he did. Perhaps Alfred had been there all this time? No. He had no business in there, that was truly stupid. He walked on.

He glanced again at the space next to the post office. It was a small pathway, a shortcut of sorts to the massive docks that accommodated the town. Perhaps it was time Arthur finally looked around In the docks. It could even be possible Alfred simply got bored and went back to the ship. It did mean no one would die, today, which would be good. Killing in such small towns usually led to town citizens making wild accusations and causing large panic, and it would mean Arthur would have to leave sooner, unless of course, Arthur hid the body. The ocean always did nicely. 

 

After a moment of consideration, Arthur began to walk towards the docks, his boots now clacking against wood rather than stone. He ignored all passerby, seeing as all they did was stare. The stares were always a bit of a amusement to the Briton, seeing as he always knew what they were thinking. 

 

He felt his entire being light up when he finally saw Alfred, sitting on the docks, his feet dangling over the wood.

 

Then he took in the way he sat, hunched over. He wasn't struggling to keep still, even if he was trying but doing it unconsciously anyway. It was easy for Arthur to tell that his lover was in distress. It was always so easy for him to read Alfred. Something that could get him down like this must be something about family then, or perhaps some other tragic event. 

Arthur walked until he was close to Alfred. Something alarmed him as wrong once again when Alfred didn't immediately greet him in his usual kind demeanor, he instead continued to stare at the moving waves of the ocean. 

Arthur slowly took off his hat and sat down next to Alfred, setting his hat down next to him. (that hat was expensive, he would be damned if he lost it to the ocean or some street thief.) Alfred still didn't react.

"Alfred, are you alright, love?" Arthur spoke, in a manner that was sure not to spook him. It didn't quite work though, for Alfred flinched and turned almost instantly.

"A-Arthur?" Alfred murdered, obviously surprised. Arthur then noticed his facial features. Tear tracks ran across his face, not in the year that proved he had a full mental breakdown, but enough to tell him he had been crying. 

Arthur sighed. Now he was definitely worried. It almost broke his heart to see such a happy soul so sad. He wanted to wrap his arms around Alfred and just love him, crush whatever force made him sad, protect him all of the horrible things he had come to realize and despise about humanity.

He couldn't though, he had to act slow. If he wanted to help Alfred feel better, he had to take the right steps. Bollocks, he hadn't had to comfort a lover he cared so deeply about since Francis and even then, he had never loved Francis like he loved Alfred. It was so much more than just lust and the idea of each other. It was real love to him.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Arthur asked gently, discreetly scooting closer to Alfred. "I'm sure whatever it is, a little talk can remedy it." Alfred only stared, the sounds of waves and distant people replacing them. 

Then he revealed a piece of parchment in his hands and held it up. "I-i...i was only curious…."

Arthur frowned. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together. "You went into the post office?" He asked.

"Y-yeah." Alfred nodded. He took off his glasses and wiped them off on his shirt, his hands steady deluge his current display of emotion. Arthur had always thought Alfred without his glasses was cute, it made him younger. Yet, Arthur found himself liking the glasses more, it simply added to his beauty in his opinion. "I was just curious, and then they asked my name and said……"

 

Arthur knew various ships carrying letters usually dropped them off at bigger post offices in order to ensure the letter would eventually reach the person to whom they were addressed. They would simply be transported by land to the smaller offices. It was easier and safer considering they were transporting paper most of the time. 

"Did you get a letter, love?" He tried helpfully. It wasn't that far fetched. But then, how would a letter end up addressed to Alfred, when he was probably thousands of miles from where he should be?

 

"Y-yeah. Its….. it's from my parents."

 

Arthur raised his eyebrows(or rather, he only had one now since the other had been scared along with his eye and was also covered by his eyepatch.) Arthur hadn't heard much about Alfred's parents, only that they weren't very close with Alfred and were no longer reliable for him. That was to be expected since he was no longer a child, but Alfred had simply told him that they wouldn't have supported his recent life choices. 

 

"What does it say, love?" He asked gently, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort. He wasn't considering sailing over to the Americas and laying destruction to whatever tiny colonial town that Alfred came from. Almost. 

 

"They think I'm still in the navy, they sent me a letter telling me how proud they are, s-stuff like that. They got word that my fleet stopped in England. So...t-they sent a letter." Alfred hesitated. Then he stared at the piece of parchment in his hands. "Then they asked whether or not I've met a girl."

"Why does this distress you so greatly then?" Arthur asked patiently, rubbing his back in a matching patient pace. He was already thinking of scenarios, however. Perhaps his parents were raging homophobes, or maybe they worked for the government. It was no doubt something Arthur wasn't going to not try and fix. Whether he could pop across the world and murder them or not.

"I...its kinda stupid. I've been trying not to think about it for a while… and I guess… I finally cracked. I'll never get to see them again, and even if I did, they'd probably hate me." Alfred muttered, sniffling. Arthur let it fall into silence. Bloody hell, he was so out of practice. When was the last time he had ever had to do this? He then remembered the day Allistor had to hold a screaming and sobbing version of him as he was trying to viciously rip apart Francis for all those things he said and done, how many times he cheated on him and put himself before Arthur. That was years ago.

"Tell me about your parents," Arthur spoke, squeezing his lover's shoulders. It wouldn't do to think about that frog right now. He needed to worry about the present.

Alfred paused, seeming to consider Arthur's words. "I…."

"Come on love, just tell me about. What do they look like?" Arthur prompted in a comforting voice.

 

"Uh…..i have my mother's eyes. And her hair." Alfred began hesitantly, but the fact that he had calmed down some did prove to the wither that he was indeed making progress. "She was always the one with the brains. She's more like Mattie ..."

"So is your father like you?" Arthur asked, stroking Alfred's shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess. He was a lot more strict though. He always wanted to look good in front of others. He was the talk of the town when he began courting my mom." There was a smile on Alfred's face now. It wasn't the usual show of excitement and unending happiness, but it was better than the state of absolute misery Arthur had previously found him in.

"Are they happy together?"

"Yeah, they love each so much sometimes it's gross."

Arthur smirked. "It's not anything I haven't shown you yet."

Alfred's cheeks reddened some, causing Arthur to chuckle softly. Honestly, Alfred was like an adorable kitten sometimes. He would never get over it. "Hey, Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"What are your parents like?"

Arthur paused noticeably. His own parents were something he liked to distract himself from these days. It was like the subject of Francis, it was a dangerous thing for him to talk about when considering his mental health. He hadn't even seen them since he was fifteen. It made his heart sting, but it was something he had buried deep underneath his forfeited wall. He was not going to leave Alfred's question unanswered. 

"Most of my brothers have my father's hair. It was only me and my younger brother that shared my mother's hair though. Peter's the only one who had my mother's eyes, the rest of us have my father's." Arthur explained gently. He remembered Peter's laughing face and almost wanted to smile warmer. It had been so long since he let himself think of Peter.

"Your younger brother missed out," Alfred said. He looked up at Arthur. "Those green eyes are gorgeous."

"You tell me that almost everyday love." Arthur snorted.

"Cuz' it's true." Alfred countered. "So they live in England, all British and stuff?"

"English, thank you, and yes, they did. They were amongst the aristocratic part of London, and they liked to make sure everyone remembered it. If I didn't become a pirate, I would have probably been shoehorned into some nobility marriage with some random woman from another noble family." He scrunched his nose at the thought of marrying for such pointless reason. Not that any marriage he would consider being in would be recognized by any nation.

"That sucks." Alfred agreed. "I-I'm okay now, just needed to talk it out I guess...sorry."

 

"Think nothing of it. What kind of lover would I be if I was not capable of making my significant other feel better?" He cupped his lover's cheek affectionately. "May we go back to my ship now? Those lazy group of yanks I call a crew ought to be back now, all drunk and whores in tow. Can't let them be on the ship like that on their own."

Alfred scrunched his nose up at the mention of whatever sinful acts pirates normally got up to. "Um…. Arthur? I-i was wondering….."

Arthur chuckled. He knew what was coming next. "What is it now?"

"I-I was wondering… could ...could I t-take a turn and...um, blow you?" His cheeks were red now. Arthur only smiled. He imagined the scene in his mind. Alfred's cheeks red and flushed in between his legs….. He licked his lips at the thought of it.

"That sounds quite appetizing love, I'm afraid I cannot deny you of that," Arthur said. "Let us discuss such details in my cabin though, yes?"

Alfred nodded. Then he smiled playfully. "I want a kiss first."

 

"Bloody hell, it's not like I'm going anywhere-"

 

Alfred only plucked his lips insistently. "Come on, Artie! I won't go anywhere until you give in."

"Why must you insist on calling me that?" Arthur snapped, but he ultimately gave up and let Alfred sloppily kiss his lips, quick but passionate. It was a frequent occasion that was soon turning into a routine. Arthur didn't object to at all. He simply loved Alfred too much.

 

"I love you, Arthur."

 

Said person sighed. "I love you too."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took three months to finish this. I have never expected to actually get to this point. I know have one fully finished story under my belt! This was meant to be a one-shot, gosh darn it! I am definitely going to write more pirate Iggy fics after this, already have two prompts written out.
> 
> Gotta take another moment to thank those who took time out of their lives to read this. Right now this story has almost 100 kudos and 1000 hits, that's flipping insane. Thank you all!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy my conclusion to this wonderful little creation of mine ^^

In the end, China was amazing.

 

It did take way too long to get there in Alfred's opinion, but the thought of being on the other side of the world made him feel... free. He was where none of his problems could come to haunt him. It wasn't quite like that, most of his problems came with heavy traumatic experiences. 

 

But, it made him feel like they couldn't hurt him anymore. Especially not while Arthur was there. As long as he had Arthur with him, he'd be fine. 

 

He had come to tie a bond with his lover that couldn't be destroyed. He loved Arthur and came to accept it with warmth. Sometimes he would wake up and think about how surreal it was that he had fallen in love with the most feared man of the century, but now he had learned that said man had a soft side, a soft side that wanted nothing more than to wrap Alfred up in love.

He loved this twenty-nine-year-old stubborn and snarky captain. He'd remind himself of that every night when he lay next to Arthur, in the same bed, in the same blankets. Arthur really was actually smaller than Alfred. It was those heeled boots of his that made him so tall. Once he took them off, he was about two inches shorter than Alfred. The first few nights he and Arthur slept together, he couldn't help but stare at Arthur as he undressed, and said Brit would always make some sarcastic remark every time. Damm pirate was always confident, but of course, Alfred loved that too.

Arthur also turned out to be the type of lover who would be stubborn, but then proceed to spoil him rotten. It was overwhelming at first when the same man who murdered someone last night for trying to sell him out to the French navy started treating him like he was the most important person in the world. Alfred did always love attention but he always made sure he showered Arthur in love too. (Except for pet names because it seemed Arthur didn't like a number of those, despite him calling Alfred his own set of pet names almost every chance he got.)

Arthur was also quite the sexy person in bed as well. Alfred found himself falling in love with every aspect of that too. It seemed Arthur was only ever that gentle when Alfred either asked him to be or it was just simply his first time. Afterward, Arthur became dominating and rough, which was normal for a pirate captain. Alfred found himself enjoying the rough sex though, however embarrassing it was to admit it. Arthur also introduced a number of things to Alfred's sex life he had previously never known. The pirate was quite the kinky little bastard.

 

He no longer cared much about what his parents would say. He wouldn't give up Arthur for the world, and after experiencing real love for the first time, he found himself not caring about such a problem. If his parents obviously wouldn't love him for who he was, he didn't want to see them again. Maybe he would miss them sometimes, but then Arthur would hold him and kiss him and love him and melt that away. 

 

"Enjoying the sunset, love?"

 

Alfred turned his head slightly, already knowing the very man he had been thinking about was now behind him. Alfred smiled, staring at the horizon. Apparently, that was China on the horizon and looked beautiful from here.

"Not without you with me." Alfred teased, grinning hugely.

"Don't be a tease, you tosser," Arthur remarked, and before Alfred could say something, Arthur had taken off his coat and set it lightly on Alfred's shoulders. Alfred felt the soft velvet and gold, and the smell of tea and roses, and the faint tang of blood, and wanted to melt. "Northern China is cold, especially in November. You'll catch a cold."

"Won't you?" Alfred questioned, smiling. He wasn't complaining though, he loved Arthur's coat. It was big and warm and made him feel safe, and it made him feel like it could keep Arthur safe too.

"I've spent my life at sea, I can deal with such weather. Besides, the Scandinavian north gets quite a lot colder than this. " Arthur claimed, joining Alfred on the railing. His eyepatch was tied almost loosely, a little lopsided, where one could see a scar where a bullet had crashed into the line between the bone and the cornea. It suggested Arthur didn't want to be out here for long.

 

There was a silence and then; "Come inside, love. We can't reach port until tomorrow anyway. You shouldn't stand out here in the cold."

Alfred thought for a moment, but once again went in for the tease. "But you just gave me your coat."

"Yes, and I will steal it back if you continue to disobey your captain."

"Since when have you been my captain?"

"Since we met, actually, thank you for forgetting that little detail."

Alfred giggled. "I didn't. Never will, sweetie."

"Must I remind you not to call me that?" Arthur said, scowling. Though Alfred knew it was a very fake scowl.

 

"Nope. It suits you."

 

Arthur only rolled his eyes. "Come inside, love."

 

Alfred thought again, and it decided to agree this time. He would possibly ask for sex tonight, which was a major factor. He could already feel his stomach twisting. He wrapped himself up in Arthur's coat. He loved Arthur. His life felt whole.

"Alright then, let's go."

 

His life felt complete.

 

 

 

End

**Author's Note:**

> Want to conversate with me or make a request about a fic? You can on my discord server!  
> Here we can talk about Hetalia or bananas or fics or you just...I don't know. Things  
> https://discord.gg/zPdE9Qe


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